


The White Dragon

by RhapeSeuhans



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Blood and Injury, Chris being Chris, Communication, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Crying Victor Nikiforov, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Healthy Relationships, Hidden subplot, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Jealous Victor Nikiforov, Light Angst, M/M, Married Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Medieval Medicine, Mentions of Sex, Protective Katsuki Yuuri, Public Display of Affection, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Soulmates, Shapeshifting, Shy!Yuuri, Smitten Victor Nikiforov, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Victor Nikiforov is Extra, Viktor has a dragon nest, Viktor is afraid of humans (except Yuuri), Viktuuri centric, Yuuri is Human, dragon!viktor, injury!Viktor, more fluff than plot actually, plot without porn, scribe!Yuuri, some characters are dragons and others are humans, the angst is a lie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2018-11-06 07:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 84,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11031888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhapeSeuhans/pseuds/RhapeSeuhans
Summary: During his pilgrimage to another town, Yuuri Katsuki discovered a huge white dragon wounded in the woods. Despite the fear, he decided that the right thing to do is help him, not knowing that they will form a strong human-dragon bond between them.Medieval AU.AKADragon!Viktor is very in love with his human.Spanish versionRussian version [ficbook]byvikadzChapter 19: The blue dragon (1/2)Chapter 20: The blue dragon (2/2)Chapter 21: Two adorable humans





	1. The white dragon

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [El Dragón Blanco](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10486554) by [RhapeSeuhans](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhapeSeuhans/pseuds/RhapeSeuhans). 



> Hi! I'm Rhape Seuhans! And I'm a big fan of medieval stories, so I thought it would be fun to put YOI together with that Era. I hope you like the result. And remember to leave comments so I will know what you like or disliked about my work~!
> 
> PD: Please keep in mind that English is not my native language, I did my best to translate this. Enjoy!

Yuuri Katsuki couldn't believe his eyes. He took off his spectacles for a moment and rubbing them, thinking that he was probably very tired from his journey. He had been walking for three days in the direction of another town where he would begin his new work as Scribe. He had barely stopping to rest, to sleep or to eat the few ration he could carry. But no, he wasn't too tired to hallucinate.

His eyes weren't deceiving him... A dragon!

A real dragon was lying wounded on a floor of scorched grass. Its huge body was severely damaged by cuts made by swords. Even the membrane of its gigantic wings seemed had been pierced by iron arrows to disable its flight.

It was still breathing. Yes, but painfully and slowly.

Yuuri held his breath for a moment, half frightened and half excited by his discover. He was aware that there were still dragons scattered throughout the world. However, they were few, since Kings ordered to hunt them to take possession of their treasures. And many knights, boasting about their nobility, murdered them and crafted weapons from their valuable scales. So, more than encountering a dragon, what really surprised him was the fact of seeing one who was still alive.

Looking at the surroundings, the dark-haired man could see blood spreading over the ground. Blue blood of a dragon combined with human's red blood, which made Yuuri think that there were at least four or five knights who were after the dragon, and they might had been very wounded to finish it and decided to retire to return later for its scales. There were no signs of swords or broken armors to think that the dragon could have eaten them.

Yuuri, beside the obviously terror of seeing such a majestic and mythical creature, he felt sad for it. Trying not to make too much noise, he stepped forward to have a better view of it. He knew he was committing a stupidity, but he remembered reading in some book that dragons only attacked if they felt threatened or you try to steal their belongings. But that one looked very wounded to even move a paw. In theory, he was in no danger. And probably that experience wouldn't be repeated again in his life. He didn't want to miss that.

The dragon was gigantic, maybe thirty or forty feet long..., or perhaps a little less. From the angle where Yuuri was looking at the dragon, it looking too imposing even with his ghostly appearance. Its scales were white, but they had a beautiful and contrasting platinum glow. The blood of some of his wounds seemed already dry, shallow injuries probably, but the others were still dripping celestial threads. And a small portion of one of its thighs appeared to be scaleless. The knights must have ripped them off to prove their bravery.

In order to put an end to his curiosity, Yuuri approached to it head, feeling how its still hot breath had the strength enough to push him back a little. And with some precaution, Yuuri extended a trembling hand to touch it. The dragon's skin was cold and hard, like a rock, but it had a soft touch, just like silk.

It was a really shame that such a beautiful creature had to die in such an agonizing way...

The dragon made a grunting sound and Yuuri stepped back. The dark-haired man looked up and noticed a pair of huge eyes as blue as sapphires looking directly at his owns browns. Yuuri felt a strong jolt all over his body. It wasn't just panic... He felt as if he were looking at a divinity; A strange mixture of respect, adoration, and terror buried in his chest. His head ordered him to run, but his legs didn't obey him. Although he would lie if he said that he had not been paralyzed just to keep staring at those shining orbs.

However, the seconds passed and the dragon did nothing but blink. It didn't move or give any indication that it was going to do it. It was as if Yuuri's presence didn't bother the dragon at all. Then Yuuri could see the loneliness and bitterness in its gaze, and he understood.

The dragon had give up. It was waiting patiently for the moment of its death.

That thought brought on a terrible affliction in his heart. Yuuri couldn't let the dragon die like that. It would be inhuman of him to leave it without even trying to help it. But it wasn't like he could do anything to calm the pain... Unless ... Among the things he carried in his backpack Yuuri was sure he had a bottle filled with medicine. It was a kind of elixir that was made in his hometown, because the herbs that were used in the mixture grew there naturally. The potion was neither magical nor miraculous, but it cured some non-lethal diseases and relieved pain. He didn't need it and he could surely buy more in the town he was going to, so he decided to give it to the dragon.

"He-hello ..." He mumbled with fear, without having stopped trembling, but the dragon still didn't react, it just looked at him expectantly. "I... I want you to... take this." Yuuri showed it the bottle. "It will take away the pain... Al least that's what I expect... I don't really know if it works with dragons ..."

Oh, but what was he doing? Even if the dragon could understand human language, it surely would not trust in him, since it was the humans themselves who left him in such a pitiable state. However, to Yuuri's surprise, the dragon open its jaws and stuck out its tongue. It took to the black-haired man only a few seconds to process what was happening, and then hurried to pour half the liquid over it's tongue and instinctively push his hand away in a hurry. The dragon swallowed the medicine.

Yuuri smiled and tears welled up in his eyes. But he cleaned them up at once, ashamed of himself. Who was suffering a painful death was not him but the dragon.

Seeing that the creature had no intentions of attacking him, he searched his luggage for a rag, but he only found an old garment that he knew he would never use again, so he used it to pour medicine into it.

Yuuri circled the dragon to get to his wounds, raising his hands in a submission way and letting know to the dragon he wouldn't hurt it. The dragon gently dropped its head to the grass, turning toward him, perhaps curious to see what the human would do next.

"S-sorry, this might be hurt a little." Yuuri warned before he laid the garment on one of the wounds and began to move his hand as gently as he could.

He went on like this with relative calm with each of the wounds while the dragon didn't seem to mind that he touched it. Some of the wounds, however, were too deep and sometimes the dragon made weak moans of pain, but for the small ears of the human they sounded loud. Then Yuuri stopped for a moment, fearing of making the dragon suffer instead of thinking that it could attack him in revenge.

Then he reached the part where the scales were missing. The blood was still fresh and the smell was unbearable. Yuuri didn't have the stomach to continue.

So there was nothing more that Yuuri could do for the dragon. The sun was about to hide behind the trees and the wind went cold. The best thing he could do now is get back on track before the thieves started to fill the roads. After all, he need to arrive the town on the same day to report to his new job.

"I must go now..." Yuuri announced as he gathered his things. He approached the dragon's head and stroke his nose, laying his forehead on its. He was so tired that he didn't even realize when he stopped being afraid of it. "I hope you get better. But if not... I'm so sorry, some humans are very cruel." He said, and without looking back as he continued on his way.

Yuuri managed to reach the town before midnight, giving to his superior the excuse that he had to take another way to avoid a group of thieves, so he had no problems for being late. He got a room in the Inn, dined and took a bath to remove the dirt and blood he could hide using gloves, which he also washed.

Even though the bed was comfortable enough, it took him quite a while to fall asleep. Yuuri still couldn't assimilate what had happened to him that day... A dragon. He had a meeting with a dragon! And he came out of alive!... Of course, that was because the dragon was dying instead... He sighed wearily and closed his eyes.

Yuuri did everything he could to keep the dragon from suffering. Now he only had to wait until it died in peace before the knights came back to finish the job. It would be difficult for anyone else to find the dragon in the thicket of the forest. He himself came upon it by accident as he pursued his gourd canteen that fell from a bridge to the river, which led him away from the main road.

The next day Yuuri couldn't stop thinking about the dragon. Although perhaps by that time it should have died already... or still dying. Since Yuuri's job was just to copy texts, he had no problems when his mind began to wander around, he could even think of an excuse to get away from his co-workers who wanted to give him a little welcome party.

When he finished his shift, he rushed to a potion store to buy another elixir. He prepared his travel bag again, but this time without filling it too much. He only put inside some rags that he found in the Inn, the medicine he jusy bought, his gourd canteen, and some food.

Guided only by his memory, he sought the place where they meeting had been take part. It took Yuuri some time to recognize the exact path, since the adrenaline and darkness of the day before made him difficult to remember references, but he managed to find the right path after several attempts.

And there it was again. The dragon... His eyes were closed... but he was breathing. And he looked quite calm. Yuuri even would have believed that it was another dragon if it wans't for the location of the wounds. The dark-haired man approached him again very cautiously, but stopped when the dragon looked up. His sapphire eyes looked different, with more life. Then he rested his head on the floor, not feeling alarmed of his presence.

Yuuri, still in fear, resumed his march. He didn't know if the day before he was safe because the creature was tired or not hungry, but now he seemed to have the energy to attack if something bothered it. He needed to be twice as careful if he didn't want to be the one who died. Yuuri shook his head, putting aside those dark thoughts, and smiled.

The dragon was alive and seemed stable, that was the really important thing.

He didn't know if it had been thanks to medicine, or perhaps the dragons had the ability to regenerate themselves, but Yuuri felt happy.

"I ... I'm glad you're okay." He remarked, and the dragon this time deigned to look at him. "I brought you more medicine. But... I don't know if you want to drink it again..." The dragon made a sound like a sigh, or so Yuuri believed. However, the white dragon stuck out his tongue and they repeated the process.

But now Yuuri used the gourd canteen to wet one of the rag and clean the blood as best he could, at least enough to make the scales glow a little. When the rag turned completely blue, he changed it for another. And when he had only one left, he used it to spread the elixir again. This time he dared to approach the area without scales, taking special care of the exposed skin, however, the dragon now didn't seem to feel pain.

Before the day went dark Yuuri returned to the town, promising to the dragon that he would return the next day. And so he did.

During the following days, the dark-haired man continued to visit the dragon. He even brought with him some dried meat and fruits. He supposed that the dragon hadn't eaten anything, because it seemed like it hadn't moved from the same place yet. According to a book he found in the library where he worked, dragons could eat anything, even junk, but Yuuri thought it would be better to give it food in good condition.

Although Yuuri spent much of his evenings with the dragon, he wasn't sure what he was trying to achieve. It was obvious that he couldn't keep the dragon as a pet, his economy wouldn't allow it; and obviously the creature was too huge to be noticed by the townspeople. Nor could he be sure of what the dragon would do once recovered. The only option he had was to take care of him and pray that his wings would get better so he could fly away from humans.

One of those afternoons, Yuuri was reading a book while leaning his back on one of the dragon's front legs. He wasn't sure, but he thought he could feel for several minutes the curious blue gaze on him, maybe the dragon was wondered what was that object in his hands.

"It's a book about dragons," Yuuri said, opening the book to show a specific page, which had illustrations of other dragons. "It says that exists several races of dragons, and that they are distinguished by their colors. Besides, their scales are as valuable as silver and gold, but you... " He turned the page and his face became serious. "You are a white dragon, a rare specimen even by the standards of your species. Your scales are worth the same or more than a diamonds... Is that why they attacked you?" He asked, unable to avoid the sad feeling when recalling his condition days ago. "Ah... I don't even know if you can understand me at all." He sighed, feeling exhausted, but the dragon used his nose to tap his cheek, and Yuuri startled a little. "You are saying that... can you understand me?" The dragon shook his head, as if he were trying to say yes. "I see. It's good to know." Yuuri smiled and patted the dragon's head.

The dragon, pleased with that, pushed his face against Yuuri's body, just as a puppy would, and Yuuri laughed because it tickled him. Apparently, they were becoming fond of each other.

"So, you're the one who's been caring Viktor." They heard a male voice and they turned back to where it came from.

The voice belonged to a boy with golden hair that fell to his shoulders, and his eyes were as green as emeralds. Yuuri was able to deduce that he was a teenager, perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old. In spite of being so young, his features were hard on his face, adding his frown furrowed in disdain.

After a moment, Yuuri panicked and instinctively wanted to protect the dragon by trying to hide it behind his outstretched arms, which was ridiculously useless because of his enormity. However, the dragon, which had been referred to as 'Viktor', did nothing to try to defend himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **(09/07/2018) Edit:** Now the fic has somes arts made by me, Rhape Seuhans! :D  
>  If you like my work, you can follow me on my [tumblr!](http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  **Update:** Chapter 1 and 2 were edited, since my english has improved since last year ☆⌒(≧♡ ° )


	2. The golden dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I didn't know people would love my fic! So I hope you'll like this second chapter the same o more than the first one! :D
> 
> PD: Please keep in mind that English is not my native language, I did my best to translate this. Enjoy!

Yuuri's first thought about the blond boy was he was strange, for both his refined appearance and his elegant clothes. They boy wore a cream-colored tunic with gold embroidery; Yuuri even suspected it was real gold thread. He knew there were some wealthy families living in the same town as him, but their mansions weren't even near of the area where the Inn was, so he wasn't sure if he could recognize the boy. Another weird thing was that the boy's clothes weren't embroidered with a heraldic badge. Maybe he was a foreigner?

"I'm not your enemy," The blond boy says after catching Yuuri's panic expression. "Thank you for taking care of Viktor. He was injured while he tried to protect me from a group of Knights. But... I will tell you this in the kindness way possible; Your services are no longer required here. You can go now." He gestured at the woods with a finger. "From now on I will take care of him."

"Eh? But I... I don't understand... Why would a group of knight go after you?" Yuuri asked with genuine curiosity and some fear. If the knights were chasing that particular boy, he must be dangerous. He didn't want to leave the dragon in the hands of someone dangerous.

The boy snapped and frowned.

"Tsk. I don't have to explain anything to you." He replied sternly, but not raising his voice. "The best thing you can do right now is leave us and never don't come back. For your sake, I hope you haven't told anyone about Viktor."

The blond boy advanced towards them with intent to use force to move away the dark-haired man from the dragon. However, the white dragon growled, and using his front teeth, picked up an unprepared Yuuri from his scribe habit, taking his feet off the ground a few inches until carefully place him between his paws. Yuuri managed not to scream.

The boy then stopped and sighed uneasily.

"Okay. You win. After all he saved your life... But you will be responsible for him! I won't to take care of him!" The boy exclaimed pointing a finger accusingly at the dragon. "So don't come crying to me if something happens to your human!"

"W-Wait, what are you talking about?" Yuuri asked, increasingly confused. Everything was happening so fast and the only thing he had managed to understand was the name of the dragon was Viktor. And, somehow, the blond boy could communicate with him...

"Isn't obvious? Do I have to explain everything?!" The blond boy exclaimed in anger, starting to become exasperated. "You are a human, you are a threat for all of us! Well... In your case you had the goodwill to help Viktor, though I don't know why you did it. If I discovered that you are doing this only for his scales, I will rip your heart out with my own hands!" The boy showed very sharp nails and Yuuri trembled at the threat. Then the dragon growled again, perhaps warning him. "Yes, yes, whatever." He tilted his head from side to side, not cared about the scolding. "Viktor says he wants to thanks to you for everything you've done for him. And he wants to know your name."

"Ah?..." That was strange. Yuuri still couldn't believe that dragons could think, because, in his eyes, Viktor was a mythical beast. However, he remembered that, in fact, the white dragon was able to understand his language and they already had communicated a little. Viktor have conscience and wanted to know the name of the person who had been taking care of him. "My... my name is Yuuri."

"Uh?! Are you serious?" The boy asked with a surprised face, but then he changed to a more haughty expression. "But that's my name; Yuri. Change it." He demanded with an authoritative voice and a hand on his hip.

"A-ah... I .. I couldn't change my name. It's the one my parents gave to me..." Yuuri said nervously, and backed up until he reach the dragon's body. He felt pathetic for being threatened by a teenager, after all he was an adult. Despite that, something in the boy's aura radiated real danger, the kind of danger he didn't even felt with Viktor.

"Mmh! Anyway." Yuri snorted, tilting his head from side to side. His patience seemed to be running out. "We can get you another name later. For now, I need you to know what you have got yourself into and prepare for it."

"... What have I gotten myself into?" Yuuri repeated, still not understanding where the conversation was going. Is it possible that aiding a dragon would have a fatal consequence? Would the dragon seek revenge against humans when he were fully recovered? No... If that was the case, Yuri wouldn't have thanked him for taking care of the dragon. Since he was also a... human. "Wait. How is it that you and... Viktor can understand each other?"

"Oh... So you haven't noticed yet, huh." The blond said with a half smile and a mocking voice. "I hope this will answered your question." Yuri dropped his palms and pound hard the ground, and in a blink of Yuuri's eyes, the next thing he saw was how a golden dragon spreading its wings.

Because of the shock, Yuuri put his hands to his mouth and extinguish a shout. He feared to alarm anyone who walked by and come to them out of curiosity. The dark-haired man was paralyzed again. Not by the sight of another dragon, but the fact that he had no idea that humans could transforms into dragons. Or were the dragons who transforms into humans? He wasn't sure. The books he had read made no reference to any of it. Yuuri only knew that golden dragons were also a few common species, though not as much as white dragons, so he mentally debated whether he felt more frightened or fortunate to be witnessing that.

Yuri, as a dragon, was smaller than Viktor. Maybe twenty or twenty-five feet long, but his appearance was twice as fierce and lethal. Despite the fear, the dark-haired man could see his golden scales glittering sweetly against the faint rays of the setting sun. That somehow reassured him, also, he could felt over his shoulder how the white dragon tapped him insistently with his nose. Perhaps Viktor was worried about his silence.

"Y-yes. That answered my question." He finally said, stroking Viktor's cheek to let him know that he was all right. Then Yuri returned to his former form. "But... No... I don't understand something. Are you... humans or dragons?"

"We are Dragons." Yuri replied more seriously. "All dragons have the ability to transmute into humans, but obviously that isn't something we want you to know, for our protection. So do us a favor and don't spread the rumor." He said, and started walking towards them in a very casual way. However, Yuuri couldn't help shaking because of his previous threats, and hugged Viktor's head. The boy rolled his green eyes and shrugged. "Oi. Calm down. I was just having fun scaring you. I don't gain anything from hurting you. You are Viktor's master, after all."

"Oh, I see..." He sighed with relief, now knowing that the boy wouldn't attack him, but his eyes widened after assimilate the last sentence. "Wait, what?! How come I'm his master!?" Yuuri immediately raised his head to look at the white dragon in disbelief, although it was obvious that he couldn't receive any direct response from him, so he returned his gaze to Yuri, looking for an explanation.

"Oh yeah. Viktor chose you as his master." Yuri simply replied. But Yuuri continued to stare at him expectantly, so he deigned to continue explaining, but not before snorting tiredly. "Isn't that obvious? You saved his life. It was thanks to the elixir you gave him that Viktor was able to survive until the others and I could find him."

"The others? Are there more dragons around here?" He asked in surprise.

"Yes, of course, although we are not that many. We are a small community because your people have been hunting us for centuries for our scales..." Yuuri could detect contempt in his voice, but not toward him. "Some dragons live in the same town as you, we even have been taking shifts to bring Viktor food. But I won't tell you who they are." Yuri crossed his arms and looked at him suspiciously. "You may have Viktor's trust, but you don't have mine."

"It's okay. You don't have to say it." Yuuri smiled faintly. He was somewhat relieved that the blond boy was beginning to address him more calmly even of his rude manner of talk.

Yuuri don't blame him for distrusting him. In fact, he could understand his fear of humans. He had witnessed how bad were Viktor's condition after the fight against the knights.

"I... I know this is not my business, but... I'm sorry about Viktor." Yuuri continued, leaning his forehead against the dragon's cheek, and Viktor made a purr-like sound. "I'm not going to hurt you. I think dragons are magnificent. But... I don't like how 'master' sounds..."

"Mmh... Viktor says it's okay. He doesn't mind you being his master... He also says that if you had met under another circumstance, he would have made you his master anyway. And..." Yuri stopped short, and his green eyes opened in disbelief. "Oi! I'm not going to say him that!" He exclaimed, his face completely red. "You tell him when you can transform! Don't drag me into your nonsenses!"

"...What did he say?" Yuuri asked curious, but decided that he didn't need to know the answer after receiving the murderous look of the blond boy.

"Nothing. Being dying caused him being stupid."

Viktor growled in annoyance, although Yuuri wasn't sure if it was because of the offense or because the other dragon didn't want to pass on his message.

"Oh. Okay." Yuuri laughed nervously. He thought that it would be better to change the subject instead of make Yuri angrier, now that both were less tense. So he continued the conversation in another direction. "Tell me... how did it happen?"

"What?"

"Why did they attack Viktor? It was for his scales?"

Yuuri wasn't sure he wanted to know the details, but something in his heart told him he had to know, that maybe in that way he would share and make the white dragon's pain less heavy. He didn't want to see his blue eyes being sad again.

"Ah. About that..." Yuri lowered his eyelids and some guilt peeked into his gaze. He seemed reluctant to speak, but he still did, perhaps on orders from the other dragon because he looked at him for a moment before doing so. "I already told you. The one who the knights were chasing was me...I ... I made the mistake of trusting a human and I was betrayed. And because of that Viktor almost died... But I won't let something like that happen again! So be careful of what you do! I'll keep an eye on you." He said, but this time without sounding so threatening. Maybe Yuri didn't trust Yuuri, but neither seems to believe he was dangerous.

The dark-haired man didn't know what to say. He was a simple person, with a simple life, who came across with a wounded dragon and decided to take care of him, and now he discovered with amazement that there were more dragons hidden in the form of humans to go unnoticed among the population. And that made him feel .. frightened, yes, but also happy to know that the white dragon had been saved by his action, and Viktor even considered him his... master?

Actually, he didn't like Viktor referred to him as 'his master' instead of a friend, but they could talk about it, face to face, when he could transform into human.

"Oh? Are you sure?" His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Yuri, who was looking at the white dragon with concern. "Yuuri." He jumped when the blond say his name with less severity. "Viktor says he feels stronger, though he is not fully recovered. He thinks tomorrow he will be able to transmute himself into his human form, in that way he could move without being detected by the soldiers."

Yuuri smiled. That's means the white dragon could leave and Yuuri wouldn't have to worry about he being hurt again. But he must admits he would feel alone without Viktor...

"... Then you can take him with you to the town."

"W-what?! Take him with me?! "

"Of course. Duh! You are now his master. Viktor is now your problem." Yuri said mockingly. "Or do you plan to abandon him due to fate?" He said while pretending to look at his fingernails. "I could take care of him, but... I don't want to. Old men are annoying. "

"Old man?" He asked incredulously. He didn't think he was the right person to care of an elder 'person'. "How old is he?"

"Uh... five hundred years?"

"What?!" Yuuri exclaimed in surprise and Viktor growled with annoyance.

"Ha. I was just kidding. He has no more than two hundred."

"S-still a high number..."

"Oh? What are you saying? I'm one hundred and five years old. "

"One hundred five?" He repeated, unable to believe it. "But you look so young ... I thought you were fifteen..."

"A human year equals seven dragon years." He simply said in response.

"I see..." Yuuri did mental math, and if he followed that logic, Viktor's human appearance would have to be of a person no older than thirty years. "But... I don't know if I can take him with me. I don't have enough money to rent him a room... "

"Oh! It's about money." Yuri lifted an arm to his chest and it took the form of golden scales. He pulled three easily, and his arm became human skin again. He walked over to Yuuri and handed them to him. "Go to a jeweler shop and trade them. I'm sure they'll give you a lot for them. And if they ask you where you found them, tell them you were looking for mushrooms on the south side of the town."

The dark-haired man blinked before taking the scale carefully, feeling funny at the fact that a dragon gave him his scales voluntarily, while others people murdered them to get them. And he smiled, touched.

"Thank you..." He knew that Yuri had given him his scales to cover the expenses that the other dragon would cost him. And, by saying that he found the scales on the south side of town, when they were just of the opposite side, in the north, would be a good tactic to mislead the future knights who would return to look for Viktor.

"Don't be stupid!" The dark-haired man looked at him at once, thinking for a second that the insult had been directed at him, yet the blond boy stared at the other dragon. "If he sells one of your scales, they'll know he found you and start asking him questions." He paused, waiting for the other to finish. "Ugh, whatever." He walked towards Viktor and pulled a scale from his neck, then threw it at Yuuri and hit him on the forehead. "For you, from Viktor. But don't you dare to sell it."

"Thanks... And thank you, Viktor." Yuuri laughed. He could see that the white dragon had become jealous because another dragon give him his scales to 'his master', just like a puppy that would be jealous to see another dog plays with its owner. "I... I must go now. It's almost night."

"Okay then. We'll be waiting for you here tomorrow."

Before leaving, Yuuri received a lick in the face by Viktor's tongue, which was not surprising, since it was already becoming a customary to them, it was their way of greeting and saying farewell.

The next day, Yuuri went to a jewelry shop to exchange Yuri's scales for coins. And, as expected, the jeweler man asked many and very scandalous questions while attracting the attention of a soldier who was patrolling the town.

Yuuri, trying his best not to be nervous, answered the soldier's questions with the excuse the golden dragon had told him to say. However, he realized that the soldier was trying to pressure him, because his expression was hard and firm. Yuuri he began to sweat cold. He didn't know how to get rid of the soldier...

To his luck, someone intervened.

"Otabek." Another soldier approached them. "Captain Jean-Jacques is calling us."

"...Right. I'm coming, Michele." Said the soldier and then followed the other.

While the soldier was leaving, Yuuri could still feel his suspicious gaze on him. And he almost panicked. Was that soldier part of the group who attacked Viktor? Or... maybe he was just a simple soldier looking for scales for his weapons... He couldn't know that. But Yuuri hoped that Viktor, Yuri, and the other dragons would be safe as long as no one knew about their transformation.

As soon as he reached the rendezvous point, Viktor, happy to see him, stretched his neck and licked his face. Yuuri laughed as he wiped the saliva with the sleeves of his tunic.

"Oh. You're already here." Yuri said as he rose from the ground, and stretched his arms. He seemed to have been dozing off. "Now you can try." He told to the white dragon. And pulled Yuuri's tunic to take him away from Viktor, lead him behind the trees. "Viktor is still weak. He could fail and hit us." He explained and Yuuri nodded, although he didn't quite understand the meaning until the white dragon began to change.

Viktor's body was contracting, but one of his forelegs grew and convulsed in a way that seemed painful, and his wings moved desperately. Yuuri had to close his eyes and turn his head away. It wasn't because he felt disgust or repulsion, he just didn't want to see Viktor suffer.

"Don't worry. The change is not painful." Yuri assured him after guessing his thoughts just to see his face so pale. Hearing that made the dark-haired feeling better, even so, he still didn't try to look. He do it several minutes later when Yuri told him to. "It's all right. Now Viktor is all yours."

Yuuri slowly opened his eyelids, and the first thing he saw were long strands of silver hair glittered brightly against the rays of the sun. Then his brown eyes met Viktor's unmistakable sapphire eyes, and he felt a shiver run from head to toe, but not in terror like the first time they looked at each other.

Well... Yuuri had to admit that Viktor had a rather attractive face, and in a certain way, his human aspect was familiar. It wasn't because he has see him before, it's was rather that Viktor gave off that kind of aura of mysticism and wisdom he had as dragon, even wearing those simple clothes; A white tunic with long sleeves without ornaments, black pants and leather boots.

Yuuri came out of the trees and began to walk with slow steps. He didn't know what would be the firsts words they will share. But before being close enough, Viktor's lips curved into a glowing smile and Yuuri stopped, hypnotized, and he react just in time to realized that he had 'his' dragon's arms surrounding his body, his forehead resting on his own, their eyes looking directly at each other.

A hug of appreciation, Yuuri thought, and hugged Viktor back as he smiled, too. But he didn't expect Viktor to lay his lips on his. By purely reflex action, Yuuri pushed him back, then he fell backward onto the ground. Viktor immediately bent down to help him get up.

"Yuuri? What's wrong?" The silver-haired man asked, blinking in confusion. Somehow, Yuuri didn't expect Viktor's voice to sound so... playful.

"Y-You kissed me!" Yuuri accused him by pointing a finger at him and taking more steps back, his face completely red with embarrassment.

"Yes, so what?" He said, smiling again, and rushed towards the dark-haired man to hug him again. "Oh, come on, Yuuri! Don't be shy now. I've been kissing you for days."

"W-what?! How?! When?!... " Oh. So those licks... "Ah... but... I... I had no idea..."

"Yuuri," Viktor called him earnestly, so the dark-haired man fell silent, but his cheeks still red as Viktor's lips came closer again. "I feel so lucky to have a human as kind as you. You're my savior. That's why I making an eternal vow of loyalty to you and I promise that I will always be by your side. You are my master now, so you can do with me whatever you want." He said, and separated himself from 'his master', but only to take his hands and kiss them.

Yuuri didn't know what so say. His mind had gone blank, his cheeks burning. He couldn't believe that such a handsome man... No, a dragon, was swearing eternal loyalty to him. So he really appreciated the blond boy's abrupt intervention.

"Oh please. How cheesy!" Yuri said as kicking several times Viktor's back, but being careful not to hurt him. "Just go away."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **(09/07/2018) Edit:** Now the fic has somes arts made by me, Rhape Seuhans! :D  
>  If you like my work, you can follow me on my [tumblr!](http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  **Update:** Chapter 1 and 2 were edited, since my english has improved since last year ☆⌒(≧♡ ° )


	3. The Inn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Viktor and Yuuri getting to know each other ;D!  
> PD: Please keep in mind that English is not my native language, I did my best to translate this. Enjoy!
> 
> And remember to leave comments so I will know what you like or disliked about my work~!

Trying to move the white dragon from the depths of the forest into the town wasn't as easy as expected. Viktor had trouble to walk. His leg, the same one that was scaless as a dragon, as a human, it left a big but closed wound, but still it hurt a lot, and his full body was covered by cuts.

"Ugh. I guess there's no other way," Yuri said with a sigh. "Get on my back." And before the others could reply, he turned into a dragon, lowering his paws so they could climb.

"Is this... safe?" Yuuri asked with some fear. "Is there any chance of someone see us?"

"Don't worry, Yuuri." Viktor replied with a gently smile to reassure him. "Yurio is a really fast dragon. He runs so fast that it will be difficult for others humans to see him through the undergrowth." He said as approached the golden dragon and began to climb him.

Yuri growled and Viktor answered with a laugh.

"Yes. From now on you will be 'Yurio', so I won't confuse you with my Yuuri. "

"Aah ... I see ..." The dark-haired man said with red face after the second explanation. But he quickly forgot about it when he noticed the pain in Viktor's face. "Wait. Let me help you climb."

"Oh no. Yuuri. You already have done so much for me," Viktor assured him, releasing one of his hands to shake it in a negative gesture. "I can do this by myself."

Yurio, with an exasperated snort, turned his head toward the silver-plated man and helped him to climb letting him rest his legs over his nose. Then he looked at Yuuri, who quickly understood that the golden dragon was offering the same help. But he declined, shaking his head with a nervous smile.

When Yuuri finished climbing for his own, Viktor immediately grabbed him by the wrist and made him sit in front of him, face to face, with Yuuri's legs around his waist. Then the silver-haired man slide his hands to Yuuri's back to hug him. Yuuri's face lit up again as his blue eyes stared directly at him. His hot breath hitting Yuuri's face and a smile adorning his mouth.

Yuuri still couldn't believe that a dragon would want to be with him. He wasn't even sure what they were supposed to do together. Yuuri was a lonely person, not used to having company. And even if it was true that he saved Viktor's life and visited him daily, this was different. At that time, throug his eyes, the white dragon was like a puppy he wanted to take care of. But now...

Surely there were other ways in which Viktor could show his appreciation without having to tie himself to him. He didn't need to have sworn eternal loyalty to him...

"Yuuri." Viktor's singsong voice took him out of his thoughts. "You'd better hold on to me." Just a one second after listened to the warning, the dark-haired man could feel a gust of wind around they. It wasn't because a storm was coming; Yurio was advancing. Instinctively, Yuuri gripped Viktor tightly, hiding his red face against his collarbone. He could hear Viktor laughing amusingly onto his ear and feeling how he was stroking his black hair in a affectionately way.

Before reaching the gates of the town, the golden dragon stopped and the other two descended of his back. Viktor came down very slowly because of the pain in his leg. And Yuuri, after his feet touched the ground, he needed to lie on down on the grass for a moment because his head got dizzy for the speed.

"So that's it." The blond boy said after returning to be human. "I'll come back in a week to see how is Viktor going. Ah, and you'd better continue to treat his wounds. As a human we're are more vulnerable than as a dragon. See you."

"Goodbye, Yurio! Thanks for your help!" Viktor said, waving his hand in a childish way.

"Yuri, wait." The dark-haired man called him, shyly. "Where are you going? Uh... If I can know that... because...Uhm..." Yuuri wasn't sure how to say it without sounding impertinent. But he was worried about leaving the other dragon alone, just in case something like what happened to Viktor would happen again.

To his luck, the blond boy seemed to understand what he meant and did a laugh that wasn't exactly a mockering.

"I'll be fine. I live in the Capital of the Kingdom" He replied looking at him sideways. Yuuri then understood why Yurio wore such elegant clothes. The Capital is where the King's castle was established, and the poblation tended to be people like royal officials or families with nobility' titles. "There are more dragons there. And we always protect each other." He said as he continued walking toward the direction they had come, only to disappear into the forest.

"Yuuri." The silver-haired man called him with a whining voice, cupping his cheeks to make Yuuri' eyes looked at his. "It's okay if you care about Yurio, but don't forget that I'm your dragon. Okay?"

"Vi-Viktor..." Yuuri stopped breathing for a moment. He still didn't get used to the angelic and seductive human's face of 'his dragon', who kept giving him radiant smiles framed in those fine lips... Lips that he already had the fortunate to taste. "O-okay..." He managed to agreed in a shaky voice. Then Yuuri could sensed how Viktor intented to plant him another kiss. He quickly grabbed his wrists to made him let him go. "We'd better be going now to the town! Y-you look tired ... "

"Oh... Yes. Right." Realizing the rejection, Viktor took one of Yuuri's hands with his. If he couldn't kiss his lips, at least he would kiss the hands that had been taking care of him. Yuuri recoiled until Viktor let him go, and he would had blushed more if it weren't because his face was already completely red. Viktor smiled pleased at his reaction. "You'll have to allow me to lean on you. My leg." He reminded him, as he patted his own thigh.

"Oh! That's true... "Yuuri stared at his injured leg while thinking of the ideal way to transport him without strain him. Then he turned around and rested one knee on the ground, ofering a piggyback ride. "Come on. This way will be faster. "

And for some reason, now the blushed one was Viktor, and Yuuri looked at him strangely for his sudden shyness.

"Ah! Yu-Yuuri. I couldn't ask you that... "

"It's okay. I'm stronger than I look. And the inn where I'm staying in is a few minutes from here." He said with a smile to assured him.

Yuuri guessed Viktor was ashamed and didn't want to disturb him. But Yurio's words made him realize that the white dragon, as a human, needed more care, so Yuuri would do whatever he could to make the silver-haired man feel comfortable and let him know that it was okay for him to ask for help.

"Uh... Well. If you insist." Viktor replied with bright eyes, and placed himself on his back, circling his neck with his arm, and hips with his legs. With some difficulty Yuuri unfolded his knees, trembling at the extra weight, although his body quickly became accustomed and began to walk slowly but fluidly. "Wow! Yuuri, you're really strong! You can lift me even though I'm taller than you." He commented as he nuzzled his cheeks over Yuuri's nape lovingly, and Yuuri shivered.

"Uh... Yes. I used to help my family on our vineyard before I getting my new job. Thanks to that I gained some strength, I guess. "

"I see. And what is your new job about?"

"I am a Scribe. I copy manuscripts and illustrations of books to reproduce them." He explained at the same time that they were entering the town. The dark-haired man could immediately noticed how several women turned their heads towards Viktor. He couldn't blame them for being stunned by his beauty, but Yuuri feared that the dragon would draw too much attention and someone would approach them, so he walked faster.

He continued through the streets, making sure he avoided pedestrians and got to be careful to no stumbled. Viktor was quiet, perhaps observing the surroundings curiously, so Yuuri didn't talked to him. In that way he avoided to spend air and don't hyperventilate for tiredess. Suddenly, he felt that the silver-haired man tensed, and that worried him.

"Does something hurt?" He asked, looking at him sideways.

"N-no. It's nothing." He tried to smile and look up at Yuuri, but his eyes betrayed him and headed for a group of soldiers that were patrolling near them. Yuuri looked at them too, and he felt fear.

"Viktor, did they...?"

"No." He answered before the other could finish the question. "I don't recognize their smells."

"Okay.." Yuuri sighed in relief, but he mentally kicked himself. Of course. He must have known that Viktor would felt upset of being surrounded by humans, especially if they were wearing an armor. "Don't worry. We're almost there."

When they entered the Inn, Yuuri approached the woman at the reception in order to get Viktor a room.

Mila, the receptionist, was a redhead girl with big blue eyes and friendly personality. Yuuri liked her. She was always very kind, even when he woke up her the night he arrived at the town, after his first encounter with Viktor; the Inn had already closed its doors by the day, but the girl made an exception for him after seeing him so tired.

Mila was distracted from her labors by reading a book. However, before Yuuri even could said anything, the girl lift her gaze from the book, and looked at them as if she had seen a ghost.

"Viktor?" She exclaimed as rising from her chair and ran to them. Yuuri stepped back a little frightened, because he didn't expected someone would recognize Viktor.

"Mila?" Viktor blinked several times in a row. "Oh! This is the inn where you work!" He resolved to say, smily. "It's all right, Yuuri. Mila is my friend."

The redhead looked at Yuuri, her blue eyes wide in disbelief. Then she showed a big smile.

"Yuuri! You are the human who has been taking care of Viktor all this time. I cannot believe you were always here and I didn't notice!" Mila said as she reached Yuuri's hands. "Viktor wouldn't be here among us if it weren't for you. You have my eternal gratitude." She said solemnly, bowing her head.

"Ah?! Wait... Mila, why do you know about this?"

The redhead returned her gaze to Viktor, who nodded. Then she raised her arms to the level of her chest and they quickly turned into red scales. Yuuri managed not to scream in surprise, but he almost lost his balance and the girl stopped both of them to fall.

"Thank you..." Yuuri said, now breathing twice as hard. His heart pumped fast, frightened and excited to know that now there were three dragons. "But ... it's okay for you to do that here? Someone might have seen you ... "

"Oh, Yuuri. You're so cute." Mila said with a laugh. "Don't worry. The other tenants are also like us. In fact, you're the only human here, for the moment."

"... Wha-what?! I'm the only one...? Do you mean Chris and Phichit ...?"

Yuuri hadn't had the opportunity to established a proper relationship with his room neighbors because he was always with white dragon after work. And he rarely met them at the dining room at dinner time.

He only knew that Chris was a 'extroverted' person, the kind one of, when he speaks, Yuuri always wants to put a hand over his ears, but Chris also was a respectful person and he apologized with a laughing if he noticed Yuuri was being uncomfortable by any of his sexual topics. Meanwhile Phichit, who was also a extroverted person, but in a good way; was fun to talk with him.

They were good men for what Yuuri could deduce from their personalities. And with Phichit is whom he had more likes in common.

"Yes, they are dragons too," Mila confirmed, nodding. "And Sara, the cook chief. But let's talk about that later. Viktor needs to rest." She grabbed one of Yuuri's hand and started pulling him toward his room. "Besides, I bet you're tired too, for carry him," Then, she added with her cheeks slightly flushed. "How lucky you are that your human let you climb at his back."

"I know!" Viktor replied in a honeyed voice. Yuuri was about to ask what that's supposed to mean, remembering how the silver-haired man looked somehow reluctant at first when he offered him the piggyback ride, until he realized that Mila was leading him in another direction.

"Mila, this is not my room."

"Hm-mm... I know. But now that you are Viktor's master, you deserve a better room." They stopped before a door that Yuuri already knew that behind it was one of the deluxe rooms because of its relative remoteness from the other rooms. Mila opened it and continued to help Yuuri to move until they reached a bed that was the twice of the size of the other bed he had in his former room. "Don't worry about your belongings, I'll bring them to you in a moment."

Yuuri, not paying much attention to his new surroundings, sat down on the bed and Viktor let go of him and settle between the blankets, which allowed the dark-haired man to take a large breath and stretch his numb body.

Without saying anything, Mila approached Viktor and lifted his tunic. When Yuuri realized that, he couldn't help but blushing after seen the man's well-marked pectorals and abdomen, though his eyes were quickly fixed on the hideous cuts, almost healed, and he felt a lump in his throat.

"How bad do I look?" Viktor inquired with a certain joking tone and a tired smile, which Yuuri supposed was his own way to deal on his condition.

"Not as bad as I expected..." Mile honestly answered with hand on her chin. "I'm going to draw you up a bath and get some bandages. I'm sure Yuuri will be happy to help you with that." She said and winked at Yuuri, startled him.

Before the girl left the room, the dark-haired man stood up and spoke.

"Ah, Mila. About the payment ... "

"Oh. You don't owe me anything. This goes on my own," The readhead said with a carefree gesture of her hand. "Besides, I don't need money. Don't you know I can sell my scales?" She said playfully, then closed the door.

Yuuri finally looked around the room. It was bigger than the other he had, though the decor was still quite simple; Two windows with white curtains, a medium wooden chest of drawers, a desk and a wooden chair, and a large bed... Wait, just one bed?!

"Yuuri." He heard Viktor speak in a sleepy voice. When he turned to him, Viktor had an arm raised in his direction. "Come. Lie down with me."

"Ehh ... but ..."

"Please ..." He begged with his puppy-like eyes, and Yuuri didn't know how to refuse that, remembering all the times that Viktor, in his dragon form, nuzzled his head against his body while he was petting him.

It was obvious that the silver-haired man was wainting for those same pampering. The thing now was, for Yuuri, it was weird because of his human aspect, even more because Viktor was a terribly attractive man and that made Yuuri felt too self-conscious to even looking at him.

However, Yuuri suddenly realized he was being stupid. Human or Dragon, Viktor was still that same loving creature who looked at him with adoring eyes, and he didn't want to disappoint him.

"Okay... But the boots first." Making sure not to hurt his leg, Yuuri slowly took off Viktor's boots and left them on the floor, then took off his owns and climbed onto the bed, crawling a little until arriving at the headboard. Viktor then embraced Yuuri's waist and laid his head on his thighs.

Yuuri, still a bit shy, ran a hand through his long hair, then his fingertips caressed his scalp in a slow rhythm. The silver-haired man made a purr-like sound and the dark-haired man laughed.

"Viktor." He spoke almost in a whisper, not sure if the other man was falling asleep and didn't want to disturb his sleep. Despite that, the dragon took his other hand and tangled their fingers.

"Yes, Yuuri?" He asked, opening his eyes, directing them at his brown eyes with a small smile on his lips.

"Ah... Umm... I was just wondering if you ... if you feel a grudge against humans." Yuuri dropped his head against the headboard, realizing the nonsense he had just asked. "I'm sorry! It's just... I don't know what I would do in your place, and... "

"Oh no. Yuuri, it's okay," Viktor assured him as he laughed. "I suppose if someone were attacked by a dragon, I would ask myself the same thing. And... Answering your question... " He paused for a moment, hesitating to speak. He turned on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Yuuri, perhaps unconsciously, crouched over him with a curious look, interested in his answer.

"I must admit that... in my almost two hundred years of life, I was hardly interested in humans. I saw them as any other animal, though I was fascinated by their ability to create, build and destroy ... Especially when the destroying part they used it to try to attack Yurio. So... yes, I felt a grudge against you humans." Viktor could feel Yuuri tensing and looked away from him, perhaps feeling guilty, so he immediately put a hand to his face, and now the dark-haired man looked at him in surprise "But I know not all of you are that selfish. Because it was an adorable human who gave me back the hope of living, who cried for me and then healed my wounds. I had never been so happy that anyone cared about me. You are the first one to make me feel this way." He smiled, and he saw with pleasuring how Yuuri blushed. "That's why I no longer feel that... Maybe I'm a bit scared of humans, but I know I will overcome that if I'm with you, my master."

"B-but ... Viktor, I don't want to be your master…"

"... What?" Viktor felt a horrible pang in his heart as he heard Yuuri say that to him, and somehow his wounds began to hurt twice. Why was his master rejecting him? "But, I thought you..." He couldn't continue. Thick drops of water began to fall down his cheeks, and Yuuri panicked.

"Vi-Viktor! What's wrong?! Does something hurt?! "

"Why don't you want to be my master...?" He asked, his breath stirring more and more. He felt so desperate, as if something had collapsed inside him. "Did I do something wrong? Don't you want me to be... with you? "

Ah. Yuuri then understood why the silver-haired man had begun to cry. He had made him cry. He felt horrible to himself. Yuuri hated to see his blue eyes so sad. He had to sort out the misunderstanding right now.

"Viktor, of course I want you to be with me!" He surprised himself by saying, because only a few hours ago he was somehow against the idea. But he now was relieved that Viktor stopped his sobbing. "But... I don't know how the concept of 'master' works with dragons, but for humans that means slavery. I don't want you to be with me because you feel compelled to do so."

Viktor put his hands to his face to wipe away the tears and began to laugh, sighing with relief and something embarrassed by what happened. It had been so long since he had cry in front of someone else, he hated crying, but his heart really ached at those words, adding his vulnerable state. But he had been crying in front of the human he adored, so there was no problem at all.

"Yuuri, if I am with you it's of my own free will," Viktor said happily. "Believe me when I tell you that I want to be at your side... Uhmm. What's the word that humans use to refers to theirs partners? Boyfriend? Husband?"

"A-ah... Yes, those are..." It was the only thing Yuuri could answer, because looking at Viktor's face without fainting was a tough task.

"You know, Yuuri? You don't stop to surprise me... Any other human would have taken advantage of having a white dragon like me at his feet... But you ... I really like you." Viktor looked at him affectionately, cupping his cheeks to nuzzled them. "If you don't want to be my master, then be my boyfriend." Not letting the other react, he pressed his lips to Yuuri's, their noses touching their chins, in a tender kiss that lasted for several seconds. This time Yuuri didn't try to escape. "How does that sound to you?" He asked, his cheeks flushed, with a heart-shaped smile.

"That's sound... better." Yuuri replied with a shy smile and his face completely red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To know when the updates are, you can follow me on my tumblr. You can also see my illustrations and comics/doujins Viktuuri ;D
> 
> http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/


	4. The legend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri met the other dragons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me more time to translated than I thought...Hope you like it! ;D
> 
> And...ok. Some people asking me if I was inspired by How to tame your dragon. The answer is no. I was inspired to make this fic by a series of book named Dragonlance Chronicles. In this book dragons can shapeshifting and have to live hide amoung humans for a *spoiler* reason. And no, I'm not using the same story that the book. I just took the human-dragon relationship without the angst and added a happy homosexual couple ;D
> 
> PD: Please keep in mind that English is not my native language, I did my best to translate this. Enjoy!  
> And remember to leave comments so I will know what you like or disliked about my work~!

Fortunately for Yuuri, Mila offered herself to help him bathe Viktor, which meant they wouldn't be alone in the bathroom. That filled him with relief. It was true that they were already a officially couple, so he had nothing to be ashamed to help him bath, at least that was what Viktor said to him. However, what Yuuri truly feared was rather not being able to hold Viktor and some accident could happen due to the slippery water. So having a couple of extra hands comforted the dark-haired man a lot.

Although, Yuuri screamed in shock when Viktor began undressing in front of the girl without even be ashamed, exposing the cuts and bruises that covered sporadically his body, to neck to toes.

"Vi-Viktor!" Yuuri warned him, covering him with a towel. Both dragons looked at him for a moment, confused, until Mila understood the problem.

"Ah, Yuuri. Don't worry." She waved a hand to downplay the act. "We are dragons. It doesn't affect us to see a naked human body, at least not in the moral sense. We are always naked as a dragon, you know." She laughed and realize that the dark-haired man was more shy than she imagined. "If we wear clothes when we transmuting into humans, it's only not to raise suspicions."

"Oh... I understand, I think..." Yuuri lowered the towel, and then he glanced over Viktor's body, feeling a horrible pang in his heart with every wound he spotted... until he accidentally looked at his crotch. And, unlike Mila, he did feel shame.

Yuuri and Mila took Viktor's arms and helped him get in the bathtub, carefully lowering him to the bottom, until hot water covered his chest.

"This feels so good..." The silver-haired man said, his cheeks slightly flushed, enjoying the water. "Yuuri, you should enter too." Yuuri would have blushed for that, except that he could tell that Viktor was saying it in a innocently way, like a child inviting another to play, so he just smiled.

"I shouldn't. It could foul the water. And you're still weak. And... I don't know if you guys can get sick like we do." He said this looking at Mila, who seemed to know more about humans than Viktor.

"Yes. Transmuting in human basically makes us one of you." She replied thoughtfully, perhaps searching for the right words to simplify the answer. "So, diseases that wouldn't normally harm us like dragons, as a humans could easily affect us. Even so, we retain certain abilities, but that depends on each dragon. I, for example, still have my breath of fire." The girl opened her lips slightly and from her mouth came out a small flame. Mila winked at Yuuri after hearing him make a gasp of admiration.

"I can do that too..." Viktor said looking at her suspiciously, and Yuuri laughed.

"I know you can, Viktor. But don't do it now." He said stroking his hair, and Viktor took that hand to bring it to his own cheek to make Yuuri nuzzled him.

"Well, you're a white dragon. You can do pretty much anything you want." Mila shrugged, sounding rather mocking.

Yuuri then remembered that he read something like that in one of the library's books. What made white dragons really special, apart from their beautiful scales, it was that they could have many abilities, which was considered a huge tactic advantage for the Knights who tame them; while other dragons were limited to a few abilities.

"Viktor..." Yuuri started to say, not quite sure if he should finish saying what he was thinking, but his dragon encouraged him to speak by turning his full attention to him. "I think you should cut your hair."

"Ah?!" He cried in surprise. "Yuuuuuuri! Why?! Don't you like my hair?" He asked looking at him with sad eyes, and the dark-haired man immediately waved his hands and continued.

"I-I like your hair! It's beautiful!" Viktor smiled pleased that his boyfriend flattered him. "What I wanted to say is... I'm sure its take a lot of work to take care of your hair, and now that you're hurt... It would make the things easier of us if you cut it down." He said, thinking how laborious it would be to dry those long strands of platinum after bathing. "But if you don't want to, I'll find a way to ..."

"Wait! Uh... I must admit I'm not particularly interested in that idea but... " He watched his hair float heavily on the water. "But you're right. Right now, all what my hair is does is get in the way." He said, and gave a sigh of defeat.

"Are you sure? I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do."

"I'm sure. Besides, it will grow back." He assured him with a smile, and wrappend one of his hands to caressed it.

"Great! I'll go get scissors!" Mila said excitedly, who in less than a minute was already back to the bathroom with scissors that seemed to be special for fabric. "You'll see how handsome you will look."

"Do you know how to use that?" He questioned suspiciously.

"Viktor, please. I'm like one hundred and twenty-six years old. Yes. Of course I know how to use the scissors." She replied, sounding a bit offended. Despite that, she quickly smiled again. "I cut my hair and Sara's hair myself."

The redhead then stood behind Viktor, taking his long hair and draining the water inside the tub, then gathered it so that she knotted the strands with the hair itselt, then cut it everything at once. After that, she used her fingers to cut tufts of hair evenly over his ear.

During that time, Yuuri helped the dragon to soap his arms and legs. And he wasn't protected from Viktor throwing water at his face while laught. When Mila finished, she passed a mirror to Viktor so he can judge her work.

"Wow! Not bad!" He exclaimed, surprisingly happy with the result. "What do you think, Yuuri?"

"Aah..." The dark-haired man blushed and looked away. If Viktor had been surrounded before by an aura of mysticism, it changed radically to a sensual one, which made it even more difficult to look at. "You-you look... very... handsome."

"And you look very cute when you blush." Viktor replied, pinching Yuuri's cheeks, and stole a little kiss from his lips, which couldn't be longer because the wounds in his abdomen made him recoil in pain.

After making sure all the wounds were clean, Yuuri and Milla took Viktor back to the room, where the redhead had already left them both pajamas on the bed and a box with medicines and bandages.

"I hear some noises. Maybe Chris or Phichit are already here. I'll go tell them about Viktor." Mila said before leaving the room.

"Okay." Yuuri replied, although he didn't pay much attention to what Mila said since his concentration was in using a wet bandage with the elixir over Viktor's wounds as gently as possible.

Yuuri started at Viktor's neck, so the silver-haired man couldn't help but letting out a few giggles because the texture of the bandage was tickling in his skin, until Yuuri continued to his shoulders and chest, then he had to close his eyes and squeeze his lips. Yuuri knew the elixir made hurt his lacerations, so he apologized in a low voice every time Viktor repeated the gesture, however, the other man assured him that he was fine with a smile.

After checking the wound, Yuuri knew he only needed to bandage Viktor's right arm, since one of the cuts was still bleeding a little. Maybe it was due to an infection why it hadn't close completely yet. Then he helped Viktor to sit down, applying more elixir on his back. When finished, Yuuri help him dress the top of his pajamas, making sure the cloth didn't abruptly touch his wounds.

Yuuri continued aplied the elixir on the wounds on his legs, pausing a moment before touching the larger wound. He looked at Viktor with pity, and soon the silver-haired man understood what was about to happen, so he clutched his hands on the sheets, expecting the worst.

"Are you all right?" Yuuri asked, unable to hide the guilt in his voice.

It was obvious that that one was the most painful wound of all, because practically the soft skin was exposed. Even on the edges of the laceration had red threads of blood, perhaps the wound was reopened when Yuuri rubbed it with the soap.

"I'm fine, Yuuri. As long as you're by my side I can handle everything." Viktor smiled faintly, dropping his head on the pillow, and breathed a sigh of relief when the dark-haired man finally pulled out the wet bandage from there and bandaged his leg. "Yuuri, sleep with me." He asked before yawning, but Yuuri nuzzled his hair before bending down and kissing his forehead.

"Later. I also have to take a bath."

"Don't be long." He said with a smile, and the next time he closed his eyes, he didn't opened them again. Yuuri then covered Viktor with the sheets, and laughed a bit after realize that he looked just as adorable asleep in his human aspect as much as in his dragon form.

When Yuuri leave the bathroom and walked down the hallways back to his room, he saw a boy with black hair, dark skin and gray eyes coming out of it.

"Phichit." He called him as a greeting as he wiped his hair with a towel. The other man soon turned to him with his characteristic big smile and closed the door.

"Yuuri! Sorry, I had to entered your room without your permission. I came to see if you and Viktor wanted to have dinner, but he is asleep." Yuuri froze, suddenly remembering that Phichit was also a dragon. "How about you? Aren't you hungry?"

"Ah... I... Yes."

"You know? I don't know you that much yet, but I can tell that you're feeling intimidated to know that I'm a dragon too, right?" He laughed, and Yuuri ducked his head in shame. "Don't worry! I would never hurt a human. I love them! And of course I also won't hurt you either! You are Viktor's special human! Besides, I like you since I met you. I know you and I will be great friends." He offered a hand, and Yuuri shook it with a shy smile.

"Uhm... Phichit, can I see your scales?" Yuuri surprised himself by asking that, but somehow he felt he could trust him.

"Of course! I would be offended if you didn't ask me to." Phichit raised an arm and orange scales came out.

"Wow! They are awesome!" He said sincerely, and Phichit smiled and took his arm.

"Thank you! Come on. The food is getting cold."

"The human of the moment!" A man with honey-colored eyes, blond hair and tanned skin greeted them, looking at Yuuri with a flirtatious smiled. "Mila just told me that you gave up being Viktor's master to be her boyfriend... You really do know how to win a man's heart, huh." He winked and Yuuri blushed as he and Phichit sat at the same table as him.

"Oh, hello, Chris... I, uhm ... I just don't like the 'master' idea." He replied with a hand on the neck.

"Yes, neither do we." Phichit supported him with a seriously face. "However, after so many years of slavery by humans, it is a comon word for us. But I'm so glad that you aren't like others humans." He smiled.

"Yes. I'm also glad that I wasn't wrong about you, Yuuri."

"What do you mean, Chris?" Mila asked, coming out of the kitchen with a tray and setting it on the table. "Wait a minute. Don't tell me you already knew about Yuuri!"

"Of course I knew about him. Who do you think I am? I'm Viktor's best friend!" He exclaimed, pretending to sound offended, and Yuuri and the other dragons looked at him in surprise at the revelation. Then Chris continued. "When I came back to looking for Viktor, he told me that an adorable human had saved his life and asked me to look for him to thank him. The fact is, it took me a few days to figured it out who was that human. If he had told me from the beginning that you have oriental features, it would have been much easier. Viktor only said; 'Short, pretty cheeks and brown eyes', and that is not a very reliable description." Chris laughed and Yuuri blushed. "Since then, I asked Michele to make sure no one was followed you when you went to keep Viktor company."

"Michele..." Yuuri repeated the name. It sounded like he'd heard it before. Suddenly he remembered that, in the afternoon, when the soldier with the serious face approached him, it was another with the name Michele who stopped the talk. "You mean a soldier?!"

"Oh! So you already know Michele. Great!" Said Phichit. "Michele is Sara's twin."

"But why is he a soldier? I thought... "

"That's how we protect each other," Mila explained as she served the bowls with tomato soup and pieces of bread. "Some dragons are infiltrated in the King's court, others as soldiers, others as merchants, messengers, blacksmiths, et cetera. Like Chris, who you already knows that he's a trader, and thanks to that we can exchange our scales for coins without explanation, or Phichit, who works at the smithy and he can hear what the soldiers talk to each other. That's how we warn each other to be careful if any humans would track us down."

"But even though we try to stay informed all the time, it's not always effective," Chris added, obviously referring to Viktor. "Yuri made the mistake of trusting the wrong human. He let him know that there were dragons in this region, and that human probably is a high ranking knight, who warned others knights and formed a group to go out and hunt scales. When Michele heard of this, it was too late to warn us."

"I see..." Yuuri murmured before sipping soup, understanding now why the golden dragon felt so guilty.

"But no one blames him," Phichit continued. "Yuri is still young and innocent. He didn't know what's going to happen."

"Young?" He repeated in disbelief. "But he told me he was one hundred and five years old."

"Yes, and of those one hundred and five years, he only has lived with humans for a year. I'm one hundred and forty, and I have at least fifty years living amoung humans."

"I'm one hundred seventy-five years," Chris said. "And almost a hundred living with humans."

"Oh... I don't know what to say." Yuuri suddenly felt very insignificant at their side. "I just turned twenty-four a couple of months ago..."

"Awww, Yuuri, that's mean you're the baby in our group!" Phichit hugged him and affectionately stroked his hair. "Chris, did you show your scales to Yuuri yet?"

"Oh?" He put a finger to his chin and prepared his lips. "Not yet. But if Yuuri whispers sweetly to my ear that wants to see them, I'll consider it."

"Uh... No, thank you," Yuuri answered immediately. He was not entirely sure, but he guessed that Chris would make a sexual joke if he did what he asked.

"Don't bother him, Chris," The redhead admonished him, but laughing. "Viktor might get jealous if he finds out that you are flirting with his boyfriend. Besides, did you know that Yuuri lets him get on his back?"

After hearing that, Chris spat out the water he was drinking, and Phichit one almost choked with soup.

"Really?!" They asked in unison. And Yuuri tensed, remembering that he had no idea what that meant.

"Wow, Yuuri. You aren't as innocent as I thought you were," Chris said, trying not to laugh, resting his elbow on the table and his chin on his hand, and raised a eyebrow.

"W-what does it mean... let him get on my back?" Yuuri asked with extremely red cheeks and dying of shame at the lascivious look that the blond man was giving him.

"Don't worry, Yuuri. It doesn't mean anything that Chris suggests." Phichit said and pat Yuuri's shoulder to reassure him. "If you know some history, you should know that a few thousand years ago the dragons were still used as war tools for humans. We were tamed by them so they can ride and fly on our backs, and they tended to plucked ours scales without permission. Humans made us their slaves."

"They also made us fight our own kind just because our masters were on different sides," Mila said sadly, and Yuuri nodded slowly. He remembered reading something about it in one of the books in the library where he worked. Of course, in the books, they disguised the taming a dragon as a great feat. "Despite this, we know from rumors and legends that some dragons were with their masters of their own free will, and they even let them know about the transmutation and gave them their scales with pleasure; That there were really a friendly bond between them."

"Oh! Are you going to tell him about the legend of the Knight and his dragon?" A girl with long black hair and purple eyes asked as she was coming out of the kitchen. Yuuri hadn't seen her before, but because of her resemblance to the soldier, she must be Sara, the chief cook. The girl took off her apron and sat next to Mila. "I love that one! Can I be the one who tell him the story? "

The others smiled and nodded. Sara then stood up from the table, pushed Chris aside, and sat down in front of Yuuri.

"It is said that once a knight and his dragon were badly wounded in battle. The dragon had his wings pierced and ended up falling near the Capital of the Kingdom. Both dragon and his master were bleeding, but they would survive if they got help. The dragon, however, was already too weak to move, and the knight knew that if he left him behind, the other humans wouldn't want to help him go back for him. The other humans would let him die since he was already useless for war; So he ordered his dragon transmute and to get on his back. The dragon at first resisted, he knew that his master would bleed to death if he did it, nonetheless, the knight was stubborn and carried him on his back to the Capital. And... " Sara paused, staring at the table. And Yuuri then knew there was no a happy ending. "The dragon survived thanks to the sacrifice of his master."

"Well, we don't know if that really happened," Chris said, giving his bowl to Mila so she would fill it with more soup. "It could be a fable that someone invented so dragons could sympathize with humans. Even so, we take this story with consideration and we see it as a symbol of trust and brotherhood between a dragon and theirs human. "

"Oh..." Yuuri looked at his soup, remembering how happy Viktor looked when he suggested the piggyback ride. That meant the the silver-haired man trusted him. Although, at this point that shouldn't be a surprise.

"Now that you know what it means, I hope you haven't regretted carrying Viktor on your back." Phichit joked and Yuuri flushed as he shook his head.

"It seems... I have a lot to learn about you," Yuuri replied with a sigh of exhaustion, although he certainly felt relieved to have done something that was considered the ultimate show of trust among dragons. Now he just hoped he wouldn't do anything wrong again, like when he made Viktor cry by telling him he didn't want to be his master.

"It's okay, Yuuri. We'll be here to help you with whatever you need," Mila said as she returned with Chris's bowl with more tomato soup. "You aren't a dragon, but we already consider you one of us. You can ask us whatever you need. Oh, and you'd better be a little patience with Viktor, too. Like the other Yuri, he hasn't coexist that much with other humans either. Dragons like him prefer to live in the open."

"I get it." Yuuuri finished the soup and set the bowl aside. He rose from the table and bowed. "Thank you all for being so kind to me. I promise I'll do my best to take care of Viktor. I will not disappoint you."

"Kyaaa! It looks like you're asking for Viktor's hand in marriage." Sara said with her cheeks flushed. "When is the human wedding?"

"Ins't he adorable?" Mila also blushed.

"Can I be the best man!?" Phichit raised a hand as if someone asked for volunteers.

Yuuri, blushing, thanked the dinner and said good night.

When Yuuri returned to his room he saw that everything was already dark, just a few lights from the outside lamps filtereds through the windows. Yuuri closed the curtains and then sat down on the bed to remove his boots and spectables and then slip into the blankets. As soon as he did it, Viktor wrapped his arms around him.

"Yuuri, you are late..." He complained quietly, without opening his eyes, snuggling on his boyfriend's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I went to dinner." Yuuri answered, also lowering his voice, and bringing a hand to his silver tufts to nuzzled them. "Are you hungry? I can get you something."

"Sleepy..." He murmured and then said nothing more.

Yuuri continued stroking his hair until he fell asleep too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To know when the updates are, you can follow me on my tumblr. You can also see my illustrations and comics/doujins Viktuuri ;D
> 
> http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/


	5. The soldier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri meets some people who knows about dragons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PD: Please keep in mind that English is not my native language, I did my best to translate this. Enjoy!
> 
> And remember to leave comments so I will know what you like or disliked about my work~!

The next day, when Yuuri woke up, he tried to get out of bed without bothering Viktor, but it was impossible. The silver-haired man was clinging to him with such force that he had to give up the struggle and decided that the only way to make Viktor released him was to woke him up.

"Viktor, I have to go to work," He whispered close to his ear, stroking his hair.

"Yuuri, stay with me... I'm hurt and I need your love." He asked with puppy eyes, and the dark-haired man sighed.

"I'm sorry to inform you that that doesn't work with me." The dragon pouted and Yuuri laughed. "I'll be back in the afternoon. Mila and Sara will take care of you."

"But what I will do without you all these hours?" Viktor whined, still trying to convince him to stay. "I don't think I can get out of bed yet. I'm going to be bored a lot without you..."

"I can lend you some books." Yuuri suggested while putting on his boots and his spectacles.

"Oh... I don't know if I can remeber how to read." Viktor replied thoughtfuly, with a finger on his chin. "I think the last time I needed to read a long text was... more than seventy years ago?"

"Wow, that's a long time..." He said in surprise. Yuuri had forgotten for a moment that Viktor and the others dragons were over a hundred years old. "Then you should get some sleep. You still look very tired." He put his hands on Viktor's shoulders and forced him to lie down again, then he planted a kiss on his forehead. But Viktor quickly caught his cheeks and kissed him on the lips. Yuuri blushed with embarrassment but smiled.

After making sure that Viktor had gone back to sleep, Yuuri took off his pajamas and put on his scribe robe. Then he went to the dining room, where he met Phichit. They had breakfast together, and the orange dragon told him funny stories about the other dragons.

"Don't worry, Yuuri. I'll bring some food to Viktor in a few hours." Mila assured him, and he thanked her with a bow before leaving.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Mmh... You look different." A woman with brown hair and expectant eyes said to him. She had a hand on her chin and watched Yuuri with curiosity.

"Minako-senpai!" Yuuri exclaimed, startled. The woman had suddenly appeared behind his back while he was transcribed a medicine book, and by some kind of miracle, Yuuri avoided spilling ink on the pages and didn't ruined his work that took him hours.

Minako Okukawa was an old friend of his mother and his current supervisor. It was thanks to her that Yuuri got his Scribe job. Not because she interceded for him, but she was the one that told him about the vacant position and Yuuri got it by himself.

"Yuuri, you seem very happy lately. And I think thats great!" She smiled and stroked his hair as if he were a small child. "I have known you since you were born and you always have been so shy and taciturn, but these days you look happy and smiling. Did you meet someone?"

"Ah... well, I..." Yuuri didn't need Minako to explain what she was referring to, but he wasn't sure whether to answer her or not.

"Come on, Yuuri! Don't be shy. Do you really think I didn't realize that, whenever your shift ends, you run out in a hurry? At first I was worried. I thought you were avoiding your coworkers. But you so seemed so happy, then I realize that maybe you were going to meet someone. So, tell me, is she pretty?" Minako winked, and Yuuri look in the opposite direction, although he couldn't help but blush. "Oh, wait... is it a man?" She asked in surprise, and the dark-haired man nodded. "... Is he sexy?"

Yuuri immediately covered his face with both hands and Minako laughed.

"And what possibly relationship do you have with this sexy man? Do I know him?"

"Ah... N-no... He ..." Yuuri looked around nervously. He had not thought that he needed to have an excuse for Viktor's sudden appearance in the town. Minako had already lived there for some years, and it would be strange to her that she would never have heard of a handsome man with unusual silver hair. To his luck, the woman confused his nervousness with embarrassment. "His name is Viktor. He... is new in the town... And ... In fact, we arrived the same day and stayed in the same inn. And... yesterday we became boyfriends... "

"Woah! You mean you know him for two weeks and you are already a couple?" She patted his back to congratulate him. "You really must like this Viktor. If you have chosen him is because he is good man. And you two arrived the town the same day! It must be fate!" She joked. "You have to introduce me to him. Since your parents aren't here I am your guardian and I need to know him for your safety."

"Yes, and I'm really grateful you always take care of me. But I wouldn't want my relationship with Viktor to be public." He pleaded, and his face was unable to blush more.

"Oh! Of course. I'm sorry, Yuuri. Sometimes I forget how timid you are. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about Viktor if you don't want to."

"Thank you. Though it's not like I'm hiding my relationship with him, but..."

"I get it. That's a private matter. In fact, we shouldn't be talking about this during work." She said as she realizing her own clumsiness. She was the one who started the conversation. "Ok. I'll let you continue now. But promise me that one of these days we'll go out for a drink and you let me know about your new life here in the town."

"Yes. I promise." He nodded and smiled.

Yuuri had known Minako all his life and always saw her as a part of his family, like an aunt who was always there to encourage him to look for another future and not following the footsteps of his parents in the vineyard. So Yuuri knew he can trust her for everything. But he hated that he wasn't able to tell her about the dragons.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Yuuuuri! You came back!" Viktor exclaimed as he pulling Yuuri onto the bed, hugging him so hard that almost left him breathless.

"Vi-Viktor, that hurts..."

"Ah. Sorry! It's just... I missed you a lot! " He relaxed his embrace and then kissed Yuuri, though the dark-haired man hurried off to get up, fearing of hurt Viktor's wounds. "You missed me too?"

"Of course." He smiled a bit forcibly, but not because he didn't feel it, but it seemed incredible for him that Viktor was so affectionate (although that wasn't something that could annoyed him). "Uh... Viktor. Why are you naked?" Yuuri blushed after realized Viktor wasn't wearing his pajamas, only the sheets covered him from the waist down.

"It's hot there!" He replied as if it was very obvious, and then he yawned. "Uh? What are those books for?" He asked as Yuuri had put a pile of books on the bed from his bag.

"Uh. Well... This morning you said you didn't remember how to read, and... " Yuuri started to say, a little nervous, not sure if the dragon would find it useless or just not be interested. "And I thought that... maybe you'd like me to help you to remember."

"Yuuri, of course! I would love to!" He exclaimed with bright eyes and the dark-haired gave a sigh of relief. "Now that we are together, there will be many things I need to know about humans if I don't want to get their attention. And, if you're the one who teaches me, I'm sure it will be more fun. "

"I'm glad you think like that." Yuuri smiled. Then he sat on the edge of the bed, and his dragon immediately wrapped around his waist with his arms and rested his chin on his shoulder. "Mila told me that you've spent more time living outdoor and you've hardly had contact with humans, so I'm not sure what I should teach you first, aside read."

"Well, we have a lifetime to learn from each other. And I'm not in a hurry." Viktor took his boyfriend's right hand and kissed his knuckles. Yuuri blushed and responded by kissing his cheek.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As the days passed, the white dragon was healing positively. However, the wound on his leg still hurt, but no longer that much as making him stayed in bed. So Mila thought it would be good for him to help a little with the inn chores while Yuuri was working.

The redhead wanted to give Viktor activities that didn't required so much movement. At first she chose to leave him in charge of the reception to attend the new tenants, but it took her a couple of hours to realize that she had made a big mistake and instead she sent him to the kitchen to help Sara. The lobby had filled with female humans pretending to ask for a room so they could exchange a few words with the silver-haired man.

"Female humans are so strange. And they smell weird." Viktor commented to Sara while she was taught him how to do the dishes.

"Not really," The girl answered after laughing. "Actually, I think those woman were trying to flirt with you. And they were wearing perfume to try to attract you. It's part of their ritual."

"Mmh? You say they were trying to mate with me?" He asked curiously, not sure if that was what they were doing.

"Yes. Basically that." Sara finished cleaning one plate and took another.

"Why? I already have Yuuri." He asked confused.

"Well, unlike us who only need a lifetime partner, humans are more likely to look for more than one, and they don't care if the human of their interest is already engaged. But don't worry about it, not everyone human is like that. If those woman knew you already had a boyfriend, I'm sure they would have left you alone."

"Oh, I see!" Viktor said, happy to have learned something new about humans.

 

When Yuuri leave work, he didn't expect to find a hooded figure standing in his way. Fearfully, he stared at it for a moment until he decided to pass it aside, nonetheless, the figure took him by the wrist, and when he was about to cry for help, the figure covered Yuuri's mouth with it free hand.

"Hey, don't make a scandal. It's me!" Yuuri heard a familiar voice speaking low.

"Yuri!" He exclaimed in surprise after his mouth was free.

"Shhh... Lower your voice!" Yurio ordered. And took the dark-haired man by the arm to began to walk at small but hurried steps.

"What are you doing here?" Yuuri inquired quietly as close as he could to Yurio's ear so he wouldn't have to raise his voice.

"What am I doing here?" He repeated incredulously. "I told you last week that I would come to see Viktor's condition."

"A-ah?! It has passed a week already?" He blinked several times in a row, unable to believe it. Being with Viktor was always so pleasant that he lost track of time. Yurio seemed to guessed his thoughts, because he rolled his eyes and sighed.

"You two are so disgusting. Anyway. Tell me where is Mila's inn. I have never been there before."

"Oh, ok. This way." Then Yuuri was the one who pulled Yurio by the arm to guide him through the crowd. "Um... Yuri, is something wrong?" He asked as he noticed that the golden dragon looked everywhere, as if hiding from someone, which would explain the hood.

"Nothing. Keep walking." He replied abruply, but he didn't look annoyed.

They continued silently through the fruit market area until a soldier approach them and made them stop. Yuuri felt Yurio tensing and trying to get away from him, however, he quickly changed his mind and clutched Yuuri's arm more tightly.

Despite that, Yuuri was alarmed too. In front of them was the soldier with black hair, brown eyes and serious face, the same one that had questioned him about Yurio's golden scales... Oh.

"Yuri, I need to talk with you," The soldier said, his voice sounded somewhat shaken. What was his name? Ota-something? Yuuri didn't remember.

"We have nothing to talk about, Otabek." The blond boy replied, finally sounded annoying. "Get away from me and my friends."

The soldier then looked at Yuuri and seemed to recognize him as the civilian who 'found the golden scales' on the south side of the town. From the beginning he knew Yuuri was lying because of his nervousness, but now, with the golden dragon at his side, Otabek realize that Yuri had offered his scales to him and that nothing bad had happened to him; Yuuri wasn't a threat.

The three of them stood in awkward silence for a few seconds.

Yuuri didn't understand what was happening, but it had to be something serious, because Yurio had begun to tremble, and Otabek seemed to be unable to find the words he wanted to say while his serious face changed to a hurt expression.

"Hey! What's going on here?" They heard a cheerfuly and loud voice ask. The trio then turned to look at a soldier with light brown hair and a beard of the same color, whose big blue eyes gave them a curious look. "Any problems with these civilians, Otabek?" The other soldier quicky shook his head.

"No, nothing." Yurio said, and Yuuri could tell he relaxed a little, which made him relaxed too. "We just asked for directions." He lied, obviously doing his best to ignore Otabek's presence.

"I see! I have lived in this town my whole life! I can take you wherever you want." The soldier with brown hair said with a big smile. "I will take care of them, Otabek. You can take a break." He said and put his arms around Yuri and Yuuri's shoulders.

The other soldier simply nodded, resigned, and watched them leave before they blended in the crowd.

"Do you still suspect him?" Murmured the soldier, addressing the 'Yuri' at his right side. Yurio only nodded. "By the way, I'm Emil Nekola. Nice to meet you!" Now he turned to the other 'Yuri'. And Yuuri returned the greeting shyly, not sure if Emil was naturally so friendly.

"Don't worry. You can trust him," Yurio assured him, still speaking in a low voice. "He is Michele's human pet." He mocked, and Emil just laughed as if he was already used to that joke.

"Mickey and I are sorry that we weren't there to help Viktor" Emil said with a serious face.

"Oh... I appreciate your concern," Yuuri said sincerely, although he couldn't help but think bitterly that, if the white dragon had never been hurt, surely he and Viktor would never have met. "Viktor is recovering and every day he feels much better."

"I'm glad to hear it! By the way, it is true that Viktor lets you carrying him in your back?

I'm so envious! Mickey barely lets me get close to him when he's hurt." Yuuri giggled as he listened to Emil moaning like a sad puppy.

When they reached the inn, and as if Viktor waiting for him, he jumped on his boyfriend and hugged him around the waist and start kissing his cheeks.

"Yuuri, I missed you! You also missed me, didn't you?" He asked and receiving a shy smile from Yuuri, then he turned his gaze to the blond boy and the brown haired man.

Yuuri could feel Viktor tensing a little, perhaps by the presence of a soldier, and before he could assure him that everything was fine, Yurio spoke first.

"It's ok. He is Michele's human. "

Emil waved a hand in the air as a greeting and showed his usual friendly smile. Viktor gave a slight sigh of relief, and leaning a cheek against his boyfriend's black hair.

"Yurio! You came to see me. That was very kind of you." Still hugging Yuuri, he extended a hand to Yurio so they could have a group hug, but the golden dragon shook his head with disgust.

"No thanks. I don't want to be near to your baldness." He said after noticing his short hair.

"Yurio, you hurt me!" He groaned, but he smiled lively again. "Are you hungry? Today I helped Sara in the kitchen!" He said and dragged Yuuri into the dining room.

Yurio and Emil followed them, and they saw Sara come out of the kitchen with her arms wide open towards Emil.

"Emil! I knew I had heard your voice." The dark-haired girl hugged him cheerfully and he did the same to her (Yuuri would find out later that the special ability of the twins dragon was 'super ear'). "Where's Mickey? It's so weird not to see you two together!"

"He's still on his patrol shift." He said sadly, and the girl laughed. Then she hugged the blond boy.

"Yuri, it's good to see you around!"

"Yeah..." Yurio said with a shrug, he didn't return the hug because he was feeling lazy.

"Now he is called Yurio, so don't confuse him with my Yuuri." Viktor said, with Yuuri and Chris already seated at a table.

"Yurio. I like it!" Sara said and the blond boy rolled his eyes, frowning. Then she returned to the kitchen to begin serving the food.

At that time of the day it wasn't uncommon for the dining room being full of people, since the inn was also a modest restaurant during the day, so the dragons began to talk about various subjets to go unnoticed by the humans.

"Ah! This is...!" Yuuri exclaimed in surprised. Sara had prepared for everyone a dish that he found very familiar. "Pork cutlet rice!"

"Yes!" Viktor hugged him. "You said it was your favorite food, so I asked Sara if she knew the recipe and she let me help her prepared it."

"Viktor, thank you!" He smiled, his cheeks flushed. And, with some embarrassment, Yuuri gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Then he tried the food. "It is taste good! But I must say the one my mother does is better... No offense." The silver-haired man laughed.

"It's okay. I have my whole life to perfect the recipe."

"Oi, this is not so bad at all." Yurio said with his bowl almost empy. "Hey, old man, how are your wounds?" He asked pretending not to care.

"Thanks for asking! They are almost healed! Yuuri is such a sweetheart. He's always taking care of me." Viktor hugged his boyfriend tighter, but the dark-haired man was more entertained eating than hearing what they what saying.

"I'm surprised that you two are so lovely-dovely but you hasn't mating yet." Chris said with a bored face, and Yuuri began to cough.

"Chris!" Viktor admonished him with an annoyed gaze. "The fact that you are a promiscuous doesn't mean everyone else is."

"What? It was just a comment." He laughed. "It's not like I'm suggesting you to do it. You know. Emil and Michele are also virgins, so... "

"Oh, Emil!" Yuuri spoke to change the subject. "Could you tell me how did you and Michele meet?" He inquired with genuine curiosity. As a far he knows, the relationship between these two was also as 'master and dragon', although he wasn't sure if it was the same or similar to the one that he had with Viktor.

Because the question, Emil's eyes glittered and a big smile appeared in his mouth.

"Of course! It was two years ago, when I enlisted in the barracks. Mickey was the one in charge to train the new recruits like me. And it was love at first sight! At least for me... "

"Oh, come on, Emil!" Sara said while returning from the kitchen, putting her hand on the table. "I told you Mickey was all the time 'complaining' about you, so obviously you also caught his attention from the beginning." Then she turned to Yuuri. "The funniest thing was, everytime Emil came to looking for him at the inn, Mickey thought he was trying to flirt with me." Sara and Yuuri giggled.

"It wasn't funny for me..." Emil took a deep breath after recalling all the fights that derived from his dragon's overprotective jealousy toward his sister, then continued. "Despite all my attempts to get close to Mickey, months went by and I began to believe I had no a chance with him, so I gave up and decided to change my patrol shifts so I wouldn't see him anymore. But one day, a group of merchants were attacked by a group of thieves and I ordered them to run and leave me in charge of the situation. And everything went well, except for that one thief that managed to cut off me an artery and left me bleeding." The brown haired man tilted his head slightly to reveal a barely perceptible scar on his neck. "I really thought I was going to die there. And the only thing I could think of in that moment is that I would have liked to see Mickey for the last time... " Yuuri felt a pang in his heart, and it seemed that Viktor also felt it, because he tightened the hug.

But Emil smiled, and got closer to them and whisper, so the other customers couldn't listen.

"Then, in front of me, appeared a beautiful creature... I should have fainted, because the next thing I remember is woke up in the hospital, and when I opened my hand I found this." Emil placed his right hand on the table and opened it a little to let them see a purple scale, which Yuuri knew it was the color of the twin dragons; Then Emil quickly closed his hand again. "I can tell you the rest later. There are too many people right now."

Yuuri thanked him and bowed his head. And he smiled as he remembered when the white dragon asked Yurio to give him one of his white scales. Now it was more than obvious for him that it was an intimate act when the dragons gave theirs scales to their masters.

The group talked about other topics until the dining room was empty of strangers, so Yurio was finally able to talk about what worried him.

"We met Otabek when we were coming here."

"Mmh? Otabek is the human you think betrayed you?" Chris asked.

"One thing is for sure." Emil said. "Otabek wasn't in the group who attacked Viktor. Besides, he's a good boy. I don't think it was him. "

"How can you be so sure about that?" Chris asked the question the blond boy almost shouted at him, and Emil shrugged.

"Well, from what Mickey has heared, it seems that those who attacked Viktor were knights of the Capital, but official sources have not said anything about it. You know, every time a dragon is hunted, they practically made it a national holiday, but the 'white dragon' disappeared without a trace when a group of soldiers came back to looking for him... So, it is obvious that they try to cover their mistake, as if It would never have happened"

"What about the knights I left wounded? They... survived?" Viktor asked. He had remained uncharacteristically silent, just listening. Yuuri had noticed this and tried to comfort him by stroking his hands.

"I don't know that." Emil replied sadly. "But, it is believed that Captain Jean-Jacques was in that group. Apparently he was sick for some days, but when he returned to his labors, he had a wounded leg... For now is that all what we know."

"Viktor, are you feeling well?" The dark-haired man inquired, already worried, but the silve-haired man turned to him with his heart-shaped smile.

"Yuuri, let's go back to our room. It's time for my reading lessons!" At that, Yurio laughed mockingly.

"Oh, that's right." Yuuri rose from the table and then helped Viktor.

"Reading lessons?" Chris repeated, faking disbelief. "What about mating?"

"Chris!" Yuuri and Viktor amonished him in unison.


	6. The nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Yuuri time to know more about Viktor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PD: Please keep in mind that English is not my native language, I did my best to translate this. Enjoy!
> 
> And remember to leave comments so I will know what you like or disliked about my work~!

"And...? Are you going to talk to Otabek?" Mila asked Yurio before sitting down at the table in front of him and Chris, next to Sara and Emil.

"Leave me alone, you witch." Replied the blond boy still eating his pork cutlet bowl. It was his third plate.

"You really should talk to him," Sara insisted before trying the pork cutlet bowl from her own bowl. "Mmhh... this is delicious! There's no doubt about why is Yuuri's favorite food."

"What if we called him 'Yurio', and you call me 'Yuri', when he is not around?" He suggested, looking at everybody with feigned hatred.

"No. 'Yurio' suits you better,"Chris replied with a grin. "But getting back to the subject... Talk to your human," He said, sounding rather like an order. "If what we know until now it is true, the ones that attacked Viktor were knights from the Capital. I very much doubt that Otabek was part of this. He is a soldier of lower rank; No one would have listened to him if he said he saw a dragon."

"I agree with that." They heard Michele say, who was just entering the dining room. "In fact, I have more information about it."

Emil glared at him and jumped out of his seat to embrace his dragon. However, Michele stepped aside, causing the light brown haired man to drop comically to the floor. After that, Michele walked quickly to be in front of his twin. But Sara also rejected him by raising a hand to the height of his face to not to allow him to approach her.

"Mickey! That's not the way to treat your human! How many times do I have to tell you that?!" She admonished him while folding her arms and looking away from him, annoyed.

"Bu-but, Sara..." He began to say with sad eyes, hurted because his sister ignored him. "You don't know how tired it is to have Emil all day all over me..."

"Wow! I wish I had someone to be all day all over me. I'm so jealous!" Chris said winking at Emil, who immediately blushed as he understood the hint. But Michele just looked at Chris with a disgust face.

"I don't care!" Sara continued. "Mickey! You should be more like Viktor. He never stops showing his love to Yuuri." She finished with a smile.

"Yes. You should be more loving like them." Mila laughed.

"Yes, of course..." Michele rolled his eyes and snorted reluctantly. Then he took his place at the table next to his sister. Immediately Emil sat down beside him and leaned his head on his shoulder. This time Michele allowed the physical contact with his human.

"And? What's that new information that you have? "Yurio asked, trying not to sound too hasty.

"First of all, as Chris said, I don't think it was Otabek who warned the knights about you or Viktor." He confirmed, and the blond boy closed his eyes at the same time as he felt a heavy weight leaving his chest.

"Why?" Yurio asked a bit sharply, with his expectant green eyes on the purple dragon, searching for a satisfactory answer.

"Because there are official reports that said there were villagers who saw a golden dragon near to the road, the one that connects the town with the Capital, more than once, and those reports date back months ago, before you even met Otabek. So, it is possible they've been tracking you for months now. And it makes sense. Knights are specially trained to track down dragons. And you are still young. You don't know how to hides your trail froms humans." Michele added, but not sounding like an accusation. "Your speed simply gave you some advantage, I think that's why they weren't able find you before. And secondly, I still remember the panic face Otabek had when someone first commented on the rumor about a dragon hunted near the town. That day you were going to come to visit him, but you never showed up, so it's obvious that he thought it was you."

While listening to Michele's explanation, the blond boy had taken a glass of grape wine between his fingers but didn't drink from it. He just looked thoughtfully at the glass.

"... Maybe you're right." He finally said with a sigh, dragging a hand through his golden hair. Ever since he met Otabek he knew he was a human that he could trust in despite of being a soldier. It was never Yurio intention to doubt him, but it was difficult not to do so after the experience he had against the knights.

Yurio used to travel from the Capital to the town once or twice a week to visit his dragon friends, who lived in the town with human form and others in the caves nearby. And he always did the same route, which Otabek knew, because Yurio had allowed him to riding his back more than once.

So, if the knights had already tracked him before, it was obvious that they would have marked that route as their meeting point. Which explained how he was taken by surprise when he was attacked.

What he remembered of that day, was that his wings were suddenly wrapped in a metal net, which made him lose his balance as he ran and ended up skidding on the ground until he hit some trees. And it was not until he got to his feet that he noticed a group of knights pointing at him their sharp swords.

The golden dragon tried not to panic, and he could do nothing more but stagger back in an attempt to escape them. Never occur to Yurio attacked the knights back. Dragons were peaceful creatures. But to his misfortune, they did have the intention to murder him to get his scales.

However, another dragon was nearby and managed to hear the commotion and, using his great sense of smell, he could deduce where he was and flew to helped him.

The next thing Yurio remembered was Viktor landing on the ground and ordering him to run, and he did it. He ran with his best effort to balance his wings and prevent from tripping, knocking down some trees in the process. After he was calmed down, and after he was sure he was far away enough from the knights, Yurio changed to his human form until he free himseft from the metal net. Then he hurried to the town, looking for help.

Chris and Yurio returned to the wood looking for Viktor, but they had to searched for him using their human form (which disables their natural sensory abilities) in order to not attract the knight's attention to them. They feared the worst by passing the hours and not being able to find him or hear battle noises. The only hope they had of Viktor being alive was that they knew that white dragons were hard to kill, so the logical choice was to think that Viktor had finished with the knights, but he might also be wounded.

It was at nightfall when they finally found him, and in a worse state than they imagined; Almost on the verge of death. Another thing they didn't expect was that Viktor told them that an 'adorable human' saved his life.

"So... will you talk with Otabek?" Emil asked when he saw him so quiet. Yurio then drank the wine and nodded.

"Yes... I should listen his version of the story."

"What you should do is apologize to him." Mila said before getting up from the table to pick up the dishes.

"I didn't ask for your opinion." He replied with a frown but not abruptly, and the redhead sighed tiredly, without taking offense.

"Whatever. I'll prepare a room for you to spend here the night and talk to him tomorrow. Does that sound good to you?" The blond boy nodded slowly, not looking at her.

"Where is Viktor's room?" Yurio asked after yawning and stretching his arms.

"It's the last one down the hall, why?"

"I'm going to bother him for a while before bed." He replied with a half smile.

The blond boy then went to the white dragon's room and opened the door so hard that the door's knob hit against the wall, causing Yuuri to startled and Viktor looked at him with confusion. They were both sitting on the bed surrounded by books.

"Yurio, even I know that, among humans, it is polite to knock the door before entering." Viktor admonished him with a playful voice.

"And as far as I know, among humans, this is rude." He answered by raising a middle finger with his right hand and pointed it towards the silver-haired man before sitting down on the bed with them. Yuuri covered his mouth to keep from laughing at the gesture while Viktor didn't understand it. "So ... you're learning to read." He took a book and distractedly looked at it.

"Yes! Reading is so fun! And Yuuri is a great teacher." He jumped on his human and kissed him on the lips with a lots of affection. The dark-haired man blushed and brushed him aside with embarrassment, mostly because of the disgusted face with which the younger dragon was watched them.

"Ugh, who cheesy are you two... Whatever." He said at the same time as he tossed the book back to the bed. "Georgi and the others asked me to tell you that they are glad that you are fine, and that they are waiting for you to visit them soon on the Capital. They want to meet your human. "

"Oh! That's a great idea." Viktor said clapping his hands together. "What do you think of that, Yuuri? As soon as I regain some strength, I will take you to meet my friends."

"Sure. I love the idea." He smiled. Then he turned to the blond boy with a shyly glance. "So... Yuri..."

"Call me Yurio," He said suddenly. He hated that nickname, but he felt like he owed it to Viktor. "I know you want to do it." He added with menacing eyes. The silver-haired man smiled and the dark-haired man laughed.

"Okay. Yurio," Yuuri rectified, feeling more comfortable with his presence. Of course he liked the golden dragon, but he was not entirely sure how to communicate with him because of his sharpness, adding his own shyness; with the other dragons was easier because their attitudes were quite friendly. "How have you been?"

Yurio stared at him for a moment, contemplating his features. Dragons were good at judging humans, but it wasn't like they can read minds to be sure humans would not hurt them. That's why he had been so upset at the idea that his human had betrayed him. However, Yuuri also seemed as a reliable human, not only because his face always showed an extreme sweetness but he had taken care of a dying dragon without expecting anything in return; Yuuri's actions speak lauder than him.

"Good, all good. Thank you." Yurio answered with a sigh. He was tired of thinking so much. "I'll talk to Otabek tomorrow." He said to Viktor. "It's possible that he had nothing to do with this..."

"To be honest, I would be surprised if it had been his work," Viktor replied with a uncharacteristic sober smile on his face. "After all, he is the human you chose to be your life partner. And I know you're too critical to make a mistake like that. Ah! And, as far I know, I was the one who got into the fight when no one called me." Then his smile changed to a playful one, and the golden dragon felt his eyes burn as if some tears were escaping. Yurio couldn't stop feeling guilty for his injuries, but knowing that the white dragon took it in a good way made him feel a lot better. "Besides, thanks to that, I met my Yuuri!" He threw himself at Yuuri, falling on him on the bed and snuggled up with him.

"Ugh, how disgusting! You should have let him die!" Yurio admonished Yuuri and then leave the room, slamming the door.

"I know you love me!" Viktor shouted after laughing, then he turned to his human and kiss him several times before continuing with the reading lessons.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

 

The next day.

Yuuri was placidly sleeping curled up in the arms of his boyfriend. He knew it was weekend and he didn't have to get out of bed to go to work. Yuuri was used to use those free days to sleep for half a day and do nothing more for the rest of the afternoon. However, his dragon seemed to have other plans.

"Wake up, my Sleeping beauty." Viktor crooned into his ear as he stroked one of Yuuri's cheeks.

"Mmmh...?" Yuuri slowly opened his eyelids, and the first thing he saw was a pair of fuzzy blue orbs looking at him affectionately. However, he closed them again and rolled over on the bed and pulled the blanket. "Viktor, go back to sleep..."

"Yuuri, please!" He complained in a playful voice, and grabbed Yuuri by the shoulders to turn him and plant kisses on his lips until he snarled with some annoyance. The dark-haired man, still a little reluctant, sat on the bed and stretched his arms.

"Viktor, what's wrong? It's still early... " He stammered, leaning his head at the head of the bed, his eyes struggling to be open. The silver-haired man crawled between his legs and wrapped his arms around his shoulders.

"Well, I thought this would be a good day to show you my nest." Viktor murmured, hiding his face in his neck. Yuuri even thought he could detect some shyness in his voice.

"Your... nest?" Yuuri repeated confused, he was still a little sleepy. He looked for his spectacles on the bedside table and put them on. A few seconds later his mind started to work.

Oh, true. Yuuri remembered reading in some book that dragons lived both in caves and in high places, and these places were their favorite to create their nests (that were built with mud and tree branches). However, dragons had a natural fascination with bright objects, which they also used to adorn their nests, and that's why humans tended to confuse their nests with caves full of treasures and always had tried to rob them.

Another thing he remembered, but it was more like a friendly warning from Phichit; it was that, for dragons who still living in the open, their nests were their most sacred place (from an intimate point of view) because they were basically their homes. He even added that, when a dragon finds its mate, they usually gather their nests to create a single one and then they lay their eggs there. Phichit had also assured him that he didn't need to worry about it because he was a human, but that didn't stop Yuuri from feeling bad about taking away from Viktor the possibility of having dragon babies.

"Are-are you sure?" Yuuri asked, feeling tense at the thought. He didn't feel entitled to witness something as personal as a nest. The silver-haired man could feel his anxiety and looked at him with concern. "I don't want to ... uh ... to be ... intrusive."

"Yuuri! What are you talking about?! "Viktor looked at him with a frown and hurt eyes. "You are my boyfriend! Of course I want you to visit my nest! Now it's your second home!"

"B-but I'm not a dragon..." He said dodging his gaze, then Viktor sighed as he understood the problem. He took Yuuri's chin gently and forced him to look at him.

"Yuuri. I am well aware that you aren't a dragon. You should know by now that this isn't a problem for me; I wouldn't have chosen you as my master if I cared about those things." He could feel Yuuri relax a little by his words, and continued. "If only I wanted to thank you for saving my life, I would have given you all the scales you wanted and I would have left. But instead, I swore to you eternal loyalty to forge a bond with you, because I want us to be together, whether or not you have a nest." As he said that, he watched in delight that Yuuri's cheeks became red. "And I think I can bet that you feel the same way about me. Don't you, Yuuri?" Viktor inquired, batting his silvery eyelashes flirtatiously at Yuuri, and Yuuri laughed before nodding.

"Y-yes. I want to be with you, too." He said, unable to blush again after receiving the glowing heart-shaped smile.

Viktor and Yuuri put their lips together to share a chaste kiss. Viktor ran his long fingers through his boyfriend's black hair as Yuuri caressed his back. They didn't separate until a few minutes later.

"You know?" Viktor said when he allowed Yuuri to get out of bed. "It never occurred to me to have my own little dragons, but maybe we could adopt some little humans, if you like the idea." He smiled and Yuuri smiled back, but he shook his head.

"Someday, Viktor. For now I'm more worried about your injuries. And speaking of that, I have to change your bandages."

"You're an excellent nurse, did you know that?" He winked and Yuuri laughed.

After finishing cleaning the wounds and changing the bandages, Viktor and Yuuri went to the dining room. Sara was already awake making breakfast for the other tenants, and Mila, at the reception, gave them the good morning. What they didn't expect was also meet with Yurio's human.

Otabek didn't have his armor on. He was wearing an unadorned black tunic like any other civilian. Yuuri could deduce that either he had no patrol shift or he had skipped his job just to wait for the blond boy. He also thought it would be best to sit at in a remote table to avoid an uncomfortable situation, but Mila, having already foreseen that, approached them to formally present them.

"Viktor, Yuuri. This is Otabek." She said smiling. "He says he's friends with Yurio and came to visit him. Do you know if Yurio is already awake?" The redhead didn't need to wink at them in complicity so they could understood that they had to pretend that they didn't known about Otabek, since the golden dragon hadn't yet confided to him that there were other dragons.

"Oh, I think he's still asleep," Yuuri replied. And for the sake of all, he reached out a hand to the soldier. "Hi, I'm Yuuri Katsuki, but 'Yuri' with two 'u'. And... er ... We have already met before, but..."

"I understand," The soldier said with a solemn face, shaking his hand. He also didn't want to make the situation any more uncomfortable, especially when he had witnessed how his dragon had clung to the other human as if his life depended on it, even though he know Yuri hated physical contact. It was obvious that Yuri trusted the other Yuuri. "Otabek Altin." He simply added his name and proceeded to shake hands with the silver-haired man.

"Hello, I'm Viktor!" The white dragon accepted the greeting, although with some doubt. He wasn't quite sure what it meant or if it was the right way to do it; He just imitated what Yuuri had done.

After the greeting, Mila announced she was going to bring them breakfast, so they sat down at the same table by cordiality. At first they were silent, but Viktor's extroverted nature made it easy to start a conversation. He commenting first how nice the day would be, presuming afterwards that he and his boyfriend would go for a walk, and then he talked about the books he and Yuuri had been reading.

When the redhead came back carrying the tray with their breakfast, which consisted of bread, cheese and fruits; she also joined the talk and the atmosphere was quite lightened, especially as the girl began to tell funny stories in which Yurio was the protagonist. Yuuri could see that Otabek was trying not to laugh, but every now and then a sound escaped from his mouth.

After breakfast, Yuuri returned to his room and pack some medicine, bandages, his gourd canteen, and an extra change of clothes for him and Viktor (in case they got dirty). Viktor was waiting for him in the lobby while Sara and Mila were prepared a packed lunch for them.

When they were about to leave, Yuuri watched as the girls waved goodbye and wished them a good trip.

Despite the complaints, and laziness that he was still feeling, Yuuri had to admit that Viktor was right about they should leave the town early in order to avoiding other people. Yuuri had learned in the worst possible way that going out for a walk with his boyfriend when the streets were infested with human girls was not really a good idea.

And no, it wasn't because Yuuri was the jealous type, on the contrary, it was his dragon the one who acted too overprotective, clinging to him and throwing warning glances at anyone who dared to look at him with desire or coquetry. What Viktor didn't seem to understand is that whom the female humans were trying to seduce was him and not Yuuri.

"Is your nest far from here?" Yuuri asked as they entered the forest that surrounded the town. They were supposed to be more free to talk there without fear of being heard.

"It's a bit far away..." He replied with a finger on his chin. His other hand was entwined with Yuuri's right. "Maybe two hours on foot. If I transmute into dragon we could arrive in a half hour... "

"Oh, no, no!" Yuuri exclaimed, waving his free hand in denial. "Viktor! You're still recovering! A-and, I don't want anyone to see you... It is possible that there are still some soldiers hanging around the area... "

"Ah, yes. You're right, Yuuri. I regret to even suggest it." He tightly his hand and smiled. He felt really lucky to have a human who cared for him that much. "I won't do anything to worry you. I promise."

They walked through the woods, talking about various subjects. Viktor let a lively Yuuri tell him about his work and the books he read while transcribing them. He felt relaxed as he hear his voice along with the morning singing of the birds. And even though it was no longer so early, the sky was still not quite blue, it still had yellowish and pink tints, and the wind sometimes felt cold.

So far their trip had been full of laughter and affectionate caresses (but Yuuri had to scolded Viktor for tried to climb trees to play with the squirrels). From time to time they stopped to rest on some rock or trunk to prevent Viktor's leg from getting tired or aching.

Viktor couldn't help but think with sadness that he would love that he and Yuuri could live quietly in the forest, away from other humans. However, he knew that his boyfriend enjoyed being a scribe and Viktor didn't want to take that from him. He was happy just to have Yuuri at his side.

When they reached the feet of a mountain, Yuuri turned to look at him in confusion.

"Why are we stopping here?"

"Get on my back." Viktor ordered, and he had already a knee on the floor. His arms and legs were covered with white scales. "The only way to get into my cave is climbing the mountain."

"Viktor..."

"Yuuri, please." He moaned like a puppy and showed a plea smile. "I'll be fine. As long as I have my scales I won't have to force my body as I would have with human muscles. Besides, we're already here, or do you prefer that we go back to the town?"

Yuuri gave a sigh of resignation and granted his wish. He wrapped his arms around Viktor's neck and clinged his back. After being sure his boyfriend was safe in his back, Viktor dug his claws into the rocks and started climbing the mountain.

"Don't look down." Viktor warned him halfway as he felt Yuuri tremble in fear. The dark-haired man hugged him harder and laid his forehead on his nape, closing his eyes and just devoting himself to smelling the natural scent of his platinum hair to distract himself. "Alright. We're here."

Yuuri opened his eyes a little and managed to see a small crack in the rocks, the same one in which the silver-haired man crept to enter. Viktor crawled a few steps before rising from the floor and allowing Yuuri to get off his back.

The cave was completely dark. Yuuri could only see the light coming through the small crack from where they entered. The dark-haired man then realized that this was how 'wild' dragons hid from humans, because in tales and legends they always referred to 'the dragon's lair' as a gigantic caves with big entrances or castles stolen from kings.

"Wait a second." Viktor parted from his side, presumably looking for something, because after a few seconds later the cave was lit by a small flame of a torch. Viktor went to look for others torches to continue to light them with his breath of fire. "Ready! We're now home!" He announced proudly. "You can see and touch everything you want. Remember that all my things are now yours too."

"... Oh, thank you." Yuuri replied shyly and smiled.

Yuuri adjusted his spectacles and blinked several times until his eyesight adjusted to the low light, though there was enough light to perceive that the cave had to be much larger than it appeared. He also noticed that the air was not too heavy nor smelled musty.

As he was walking, Yuuri managed to distinguish a pile of assorted objects, to which he approached to see that they were armors and swords that seemed little used, and everyday objects such as plates, old coins, boxes, jewelry, a weight balance, a war trumpet... All these objects shared the fact that they had a metallic glow. Dragons were attracted to bright things, he reminded himself.

Right next to the pile he found Viktor's nest, which was made up of bundled branches forming a gigantic circle, which made sense since Viktor was a huge dragon; And inside the nest he could see blankets and pillows, which made him assume that Viktor used them when he preferred to sleep there as a human. Yuuri took off his bag, realizing that his feet ached, and left it next to the nest.

While he was observing the cave, he didn't realize that Viktor had already lit a couple more torches and an oil lamp, and when he did, he was surprised to see that there were more 'unusual' things for a dragon. Like a table with their respective chairs, a bonfire with a cauldron, and a huge wooden bookcase with books.

"Those were my parent's books." Viktor said when he noticed that Yuuri had been looking at them. "I tried to learn to read to know what they said, but it didn't help to much because I don't know what language they were written in, so I gave up." He laughed, and from what Yuuri could see, the titles were in Latin and others Languages he didn't know either. "But now that you're the one who reminds me how to read, I think reading it's fun!" He said, and kissed him on the cheek.

However, it took a moment for Yuuri to reply, realizing that he had never asked about Viktor's family.

"Your parents?" He simply inquired and looked at Viktor doubtfully, and he seemed to understand the question.

"Ah, yes. My parents. They are already dead." Yuuri looked at him with pity and took his hand, thinking first of the worst of the scenaries. "Hey, it's okay. They died in peace," Viktor assured him with a smile. "Unlike what many people think, dragons can die of old age."

"Oh... How old were they?" He asked, hoping that wasn't something delicate to ask and Viktor wouldn't answer. Yuuri would lie if he said he wasn't worried about the age issue, wondering if he would die first and leave Viktor alone. But he hadn't had the courage to talk about it.

"Umm..." He put a finger to his chin, thoughtfuly. "I think my father had... two hundred and forty, or something like that," He said, sounding more like a question than a statement. "My mother was so devastated of his death that she died a few years after him because of the sadness. She was two hundred and thirty. At that time I wasn't even over twenty, so I don't remember much of them. What I do I know is that they never wanted to have offspring; but they always assured me that I was a happy accident." He added with a smile. "That's why they were so old when I was born."

"Uhm... Viktor, you are about two hundred years, don't you?"

"Yes!" He replied cheerfully. "I have one hundred ninety, to be more exact. And, Yuuri, you're twenty-four, right? I know the average life of humans is between sixty and seventy years old. Do you know what that means?! "He inquired, but he didn't wait to his boyfriend to answered because he answered it himself. "We will spend at least fifty years together before we die!" He jumped at Yuuri and hugged him tightly.

Yuuri was not entirely sure if that was the right way to approach the subject of death, but ... seeing Viktor so happy about it, thinking about the future without doubting that they would always be together, made him feel happy as well. He returned the embrace and kissed him on the lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To know when the updates are, you can follow me on my tumblr. You can also see my illustrations and comics/doujins Viktuuri ;D
> 
> http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/


	7. The book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to know more about white dragons :D!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PD: Please keep in mind that English is not my native language, I did my best to translate this. Enjoy!
> 
> And remember to leave comments so I will know what you like or disliked about my work~!

When Yuri left the room to go find some food, he didn't expect to find his human sitting on one of the chairs in the lobby, with his head down, his back hunched forward and big dark circles under his eyes. It was obvious that he hadn't slept much, or perhaps he hadn't slept yet.

It had been almost a month since they had seen each other for the last time, since the knights wanted to hunt him (previous day's incident didn't counted because the blond boy had turned his attention more to Yuuri in order to not faced Otabek). Yuri could see how the soldier appearance had changed for the worse. He looked thinner and even pale.

Although the human aspect of Yuri was of a fifteen-year-old, the reality was that, with one hundred and five years, he was the older one of the two of them. Because that, he felt a little humiliated for not knowing how to start a conversation. Maybe he should follow Mila's advice and apologize...

"Um... Otabek." The mentioned one immediately lifted his head and looked at him with his dark eyes wide open. Yuri was speechless to see his expression so hurt, but he forced himself to continue if he wanted to return to his side. "I... I'm sorry ... I had my reasons to avoid you. But now..." He couldn't continue, but the dark-haired boy had rushed toward him, and as soon as they were near, he wrapped his arms around Yuri.

Without another word, the blond boy returned the hug in the same way, hiding his face in his neck. Yuri could feel a certain humidity on his right shoulder and hear shy sobs that Otabek was trying to drown by squeezing his lips. That sound made his heart break.

Yuri opened his eyes after perceiving another dragon was nearby to see Mila leaning out of the dining room, who gave him approving signals with her hands. Yuri rolled his eyes and separated from Otabek but only to take him by the hand and guide him to his room, looking for some privacy.

After closing the door, he pointed out the bed and they sat there together. There were seconds of a slightly awkward silence that Otabek was the first to break.

"I thought it was you... I thought they ..." Yuri didn't need him to finish the sentence to understand what he meant.

"I'm fine." He hurried to say and hugged him again. "They didn't do anything to me. It was another dragon they caught... But ... They were on my route. And I thought you ... "

"I know." He pulled away a few inches, but only to use one of his hands to wipe Yuri's tears and his own. "I saw how you looked at me yesterday and I understood why you avoided me..."

"Ugh, Otabek. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you." He sighed in frustration, but his human combed his golden hair with his fingers to asurred him that everything was fine. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," He said, and his features softened. "And I understand. You dragons have your owns reason to fear us..." Then his face became a little more serious. "That man... Viktor. He was the one who were attacked?"

Yuri looked at him in surprise for a moment, reminding himself that he hadn't yet told Otabek about the other dragons. How did he recognize him?

"I met him this morning." He continued after understand his expression. "I couldn't help but notice that he had bruises and scars on his neck and arms, and his strange hair color. And that civilian, Yuuri, he was taking care of him... Are they also dragons?"

"Yes... but no." Yuri gave a sigh of defeat, thinking that it was time for him to introduce Otabek to the others. "Only Viktor is a dragon. Yuuri is his human. He was the one who healed his wounds when he found him wounded. They are very corny... "

"And you gave him your scales..."

"I had to do it to divert the attention of the soldiers," he replied with a mischievous smile, noting that Otabek sounded somewhat jealous.

"And it was a good tactic. Everyone thought they were hunting a golden dragon, not a white one, and went to the south side to find you." He took Yuri's cheeks, looking straight into his green eyes. "I feared that... I lost you."

"I'm sorry ..." He repeated, and their lips joined, not without first pouring a few more tears. After a moment, in which they continued to embrace each other, Yuri added. "I tell you something. I'll take this week off from work and I'll stay at the inn so we can do whatever you want."

Otabek smiled. He and his dragon only seen once or twice in a week since he did not live in the Capital, because a lot of soldiers and him were suddenly sent to that town. Now he understood that the reason for they transfer was because they were preparing to search for dragons in the area.

"Won't Yakov be mad at you?"

"Hhm! Do you think I'm afraid of an old human?" Otabek nodded. "Well, yeah ... but ..." He laughed and shook his head. "I'm sure Yakov will be fine with a one less messenger. I'll buy him wine or something. I know he will forgive me..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After eating the lunch that Sara prepared for them, Viktor took a torch and Yuuri's hand to show him the other treasures he had inside his cave. They decided to look only at the chambers near their nest so they won't get tired, and that way the dark-haired man could began to recognize the roads little by little.

Viktor was relishing on telling Yuuri how he got every object his boyfriend pointed out to him. Yuuri was particularly interested in a loupe that it could be used to read and Viktor didn't hesitate to give it to him, until Yuuri noticed that the loupe's handle was not made of steel but silver.

"Viktor, I can't accept this. It's silver. I could lose it!" He said putting back the loupe where he found it, but the silver-haired man put it again in his hands.

"If you lose it, I'll get you another one."

"Viktor..."

"Yuuri, please. It's yours. You need it." Viktor caressed his cheek with his free hand and gave him a small kiss on the lips. "I already told you; All my things are yours now too. Besides, it's the least thing I can do for you. You are always taking care of me, and so far I haven't be able to return you the favor."

"Uhm... You don't have to return me any favors... Taking care of each other is what ... couples do..." He replied blushing, and the silver-haired man felt his heart jumping with hapiness when he heard Yuuri say that . And he kissed him again, but this time more effusively.

"And... giving each other presents is also what the couples do, isn't it?" Viktor replied with a raised eyebrow and a triumphant smile. Yuuri snorted but nodded, his cheeks still flushed. Then he put the loupe in one of the pockets of his pants.

They continued seeing the treasures. Most of them were Viktor's, but others belonged to his parents, some other even belonged from his grandparents, like the silver box that Yuuri was held in his hands, which he had found on a sort of pedestal made of other metal objects.

"This is... a blue scale?" Yuuri asked after opening it, not sure if he saw the right color. The cave was very dark and his spectacles didn't have the correct graduation to let him see clearly. Viktor quickly turned to him, pulling the torch closer, then his gaze focused on the scale.

"Yes. It is a blue scale... I think it was my grandfather who found it in the forest near the Capital and kept it in that box as a relic." He answered with a nostalgia that he himself didn't understand why he felt, and he knew that was showed in his face because of Yuuri's worried gaze over him.

"Viktor?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, Yuuri." He smiled even though he still felt that heaviness in his chest. "It's just... the blue dragons were the first dragons to extinct. I guess that makes me feel a bit upsed."

"Extintion?" He repeated with surprise. Then he shook his head and remembered that, in fact, dragons are on the verge of extinction.. That wasn't a new. It was just that, after meeting Viktor and the others in such a short time, it made him forget about it. "I see ..." That was all he could say. Yuuri wanted to take the scale between his fingers, but he chose not to touch it out of respect. Instead, Viktor was the one that took it out of the box and put it in front of both.

"It's strange..." Viktor began, frowning. "I know the dragon to which that belonged should already be dead before even I was born, but this scale seems familiar to me."

Yuuri's eyes widened at the statement. He had that same feeling after looking at the scale. It was a mixture of melancholy and longing that he had never experienced before, not even when he said goodbye to his parents before beginning his journey to the town he now lived in.

"You feel the same, right?" The silver-haired man commented after carefully observing his expression. Then he smiled, put the blue scale back and closed the box. "Come here. I have something much better to show you." He took Yuuri's hand with the one that he didn't carry the box and led him back to the main cavern, where his nest was.

He left the torch hanging again on the rocky walls and they walked around the nest until they reached a wooden chest that Yuuri hadn't noticed before because the darkness. Viktor knelt in front of the chest and opened it, pulling out rolled maps, an old compass and rules that he asked Yuuri to hold for him not to drop them on the ground. And then he find what he was looking for, wrapped in a silk cloth, and told the dark-haired man that he could return the objects without ordering them.

They took the oil lantern and went to the table to leave the object on it. Viktor unfolded the cloth carefully, and then they could see an ancient sword, its handled covered with blue scales.

"It's a legionary sword..." Yuuri remarked in astonishment. "This is the first time I see one of these. Common swords, worn by soldiers, are simple bastard swords of copper or spears for the tournaments and jousting. Although some knights tried to use the claymore, which are the more difficult sword to wield. Once I saw a knight try to use a claymore and he almost cuts off his own hand." He finished saying covering his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Oh? Do you know about swords, Yuuri?" Viktor cocked his head like a puppy, looking at him with curiosity. He never believed that his boyfriend would make him interested in swords, not after being cut with several swords.

"Yes. I have read some cavalry books while transcribing them. Can I?" He asked, reaching for the sword, and Viktor nodded. Yuuri grabbed the sword and slid his fingers over the relief of the scales, feeling that familiar sensation again. "It's a Gladius sword." He began to explain, remembering what the book said. "They were commonly used during the time of the Roman Empire by the legionary soldiers. Although this particular... seems to have no sharp," He said frowning. And he ran a finger through the razor. Viktor panicked and was about to stop him but it was late, although he was relieved when he saw that Yuuri didn't suffer any damage. "Is rare. The only sword without a sharp edge are the ones for beginners, but this one seems to be an offensive sword."

"Maybe it's just old," Viktor said, stopping himself from warning him of doing something so dangerous again, since Yuuri seemed to know what he was doing.

"It is possible... But it seems that it was rather deliberately forged without a sharp edge. Maybe it's defensive, or maybe an adornment." He shrugged. "It still seems strange to me. I mean, usually blacksmiths melt the scales along with metals and use them on the edge of the blade to make it more resistant and lethal. It doesn't make sense to use the scales on the handle and made the blade of steel... "

"Well..." Viktor sat in one of the chairs and pulled Yuuri to sit on next to him. "What I really wonder is if these blue scales belong to the same dragon that the scale in the box. I tried to smell them to see if they got any scent, but they are so old that there is no trace of it. It's uncommon to find scales that have not been torn off by force."

"Uh? How do you know that these scales were not torn off by force? Is there any difference?" He inquired with curiosity, and Viktor smiled pleased that his human was interested.

"Of course there are differences! Wait a moment." The silver-haired man rose from the table with haste and went back to the chamber in which the silver box had been found.

Five minutes later, when Yuuri was still observing the sword and the blue scale, Viktor returned with another box, but golden and a little larger, perhaps it was real gold, and placed it on the table before opening it. Inside it were scales of various colors and sizes, but no blue, so the dark-haired man realized that the blue scale had to be very special to have it separated from the others.

"Look at this." Viktor showed him a pink scale, which Yuuri didn't see something weird on it until his boyfriend pointed out the scale's edges with a finger. "Can you see how the edges are cracked or bruised?"

"Oh. It's true... " Yuuri then looked at the others scales inside the box, and he was able to see that some scales were broken or bathed in dried blood. And he understood. Yuuri felt his heart break at the thought of how much those dragons had suffered... or how much Viktor had suffered when...

"Usually, we collect the scales we find to prevent humans from following the trail, but we also do it out of respect for the fallen dragons." Viktor continued with a sad smile at the sight of Yuuri's hurt expression. "Yuuri, do you still have the scale I gave you?"

"Oh?" That question made him completely forget what he were thinking, and reminded him that, right beside him, was his dragon safe and sound. He slipped his hands into the pockets of his clothes and took out his cloth purse, and from there he pulled out the white scale that Yurio had given him. "Here it is." He smiled, and Viktor's eyes lit up.

Yuuri remembered how Emil always carried with him the purple scale of Michele, and Phichit had shown him a black scale of his dragon mate. That was how he understood that he must do the same to show Viktor how much he cared for him.

"Well, if you look at my scale, at first glance you will realize that it is in perfect condition because I gave it to my adorable boyfriend." Viktor said with his big heart-shaped smile, and both ended up blushing.

Yuuri store the white scale back into the purse and leaned down to kiss Viktor on the lips. The latter received it warmly, pulling close the chairs to entangle his arms around Yuuri's waist. When they had finished kissing, they looked into each other's eyes for several seconds until the dark-haired man's gaze fell back on the sword.

"Viktor, what skills did the blue dragons have?"

"Umm...? I think they had Ice breath, but I couldn't be sure." He answered as he closed the gold box.

"Do you also have ice breath?" He asked playfully.

He knew Viktor had a great sense of smell and sight, and his powerful wings made him faster in the air than any other dragon. Moreover, in his human form he preserved his sensory senses intact, as well as his breath of fire and great physical strength (though he was still weak because the wounds).

"I don't know." He answered honestly and propped his elbows on the table, sighing in defeat. "I mean, maybe I can, but without a blue dragon telling me how to do it then I couldn't even try it."

"Wait. You mean that white dragons... they copy the skills?"

"Yes!" He smiled more excitedly. "As you know, dragons are born with certain abilities linked to their scales color, but white dragons are born with the ability to copy those abilities, but only if we are told how to do them. Do you know why is that for?"

"Well..." Yuuri looked to a dead spot on the table, thinking of a million possibilities, until he came up with a simple answer. "The combination of all the colors make white."

"Wow! Amazing! "He clapped and his smile grew larger. He was fascinated that his human was so intelligent. "White dragons have all the colors, therefore we can learn many skills. But there are some that we can not copy because they can not be taught. For example, Chris has an excellent night vision, also, being a green dragon he can also spit venom from his mouth... Ugh, I decided not to learn that ability; Chris told me it leaves a bad taste in his mouth." He made a disgusted face and Yuuri laughed. "I cannot communicate with other animals as Phichit does, or have a super ear like the twins. Or Yurio's speed. Oh! I once saw a brown dragon summon a shield made of mud, but he wouldn't teach me how to do it. That would have been very helpeful against the knights..."

"Viktor." Yuuri interrupted him by taking his hands to avoid the subject, he didn't want Viktor stress out of thinking about it. "Could you ... umm ... transmute into a dragon? I'd like to see you." He asked, his cheeks flushed, and the silver-haired man opened his eyes wide with surprise, feeling flattered. He didn't expect Yuuri to ask him something like that.

"... Of course, Yuuri. Anything for you." Viktor took his hands and kissed his knuckles. Then they rose from the chairs and Viktor guide him to their nest. "Wait here. That way I won't hurt you." He left Yuuri outside the nest, and when it was right in the center, his appearance began to change.

This time Yuuri did dare to look at him, watching as his body began to be covered with white scales, from head to toe, which gleamed with a reddish glow from the torches. His tail and wings sprang from his back. At the end of the transmutation, Viktor settled down in the nest and nodded to indicate Yuuri that he could enter.

Yuuri, who was still impressed by the majestic appearance of his dragon, stood with his mouth open and his heart softened as he see the wounds were almost gone, the membranes of his wings were healing well, and he could no longer see the gloomy aura he had in their first encounter. Even his injured leg had new scales.

He entered the nest and approached Viktor slowly, but not out of fear like other times, but because he now took his time to admire the beauty of Viktor. He put a hand to his long neck and stroked it, sliding his fingers little by little and feeling the soft scales beneath his fingertips, until he reached Viktor's paws. Yuuri had always been curious to touch his claws, but he didn't do it before because he think it wasn't wise, but now he slid his fingers through them, and listened as Viktor purred with pleasure.

Yuuri was startled a little when he felt the tongue of his dragon on his face, then he remebered that that was the equivalent of human kisses, and laughed. Then he placed his forehead against his nose and planted a timid kiss, then Viktor nuzzled against his body.

He continued for several more minutes touching his scales, feeling the dragon relax with his touch and his breathing became more and more calm until he fell asleep. Yuuri smiled. He liked Viktor, both in his human body and in dragon form. And it was very nice to see him sleeping.

Yuuri came out of the nest to let him rest. Viktor still needed to recover, and he wasn't sleepy. It was barely half day. So, he decided to look for something to entertain him, turning to the big wooden bookcase. Maybe he could find a book in an understandable language and use his brand new loupe.

He took the oil lantern and passed it by the spine of the book to read the titles, but almost all were in Latin or with strange symbols. As a scribe, Yuuri knew a little Latin, though not enough to understand a complete sentence, as he was just beginning to study it to translate ancient texts, so he thought it might be a good idea to try reading some of the books as a practice.

Then a book especially caught his attention. It had no title, but he could clearly read the name of the author... Viktor Nikiforov.

Yuuri laughed and shook his head. His dragon barely remembered how to read and he didn't even know how to hold a goose feather without spilling the ink. It was obvious that it was a coincidence ... Or maybe his parents named him 'Viktor' after the author. Yuuri took that book and returned to the nest to lean on his boyfriend and start reading it.

What Yuuri didn't expect, at the moment of browse through the book, is that from the pages fell a blue scale in good condition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To know when the updates are, you can follow me on my tumblr. You can also see my illustrations and comics/doujins Viktuuri ;D
> 
> http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/


	8. The adorable human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor's POV of the first three chapters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PD: Please keep in mind that English is not my native language, I did my best to translate this. Enjoy!
> 
> And remember to leave comments so I will know what you like or disliked about my work~!

Everything was dark. No matter how much Viktor tried to get up and continue to fighting, he simply couldn't. His muscles were torn and his wings pierced. Ironically, he didn't feel pain, but maybe it was thanks to the adrenaline. He could only felt his blue blood escaping from his veins.

"Enough!" He heard one of the knights shouted to the others, one whom his voice sounded particularly upset even though he wanted to hide it in a serious tone.

"But, Captain..." He heard a second one that tried to reply without sounding impertinent. "The dragon is still breathing. We must cut off his head and... "

"Enough I said!" Shouted the Captain again, and the white dragon could hear as he put his sword back into its sheath. "We are all wounded and tired. Let's save energy to return to the Capital. The dragon will die of blood loss, anyway." Strange, the human sounded sad. "We can come back later with reinforcements. It's not like we can carry it ourselves. You all understood?"

"Yes, Captain!" The knights followed the order, and although they sounded rather reluctant, they began to move, or that was what Viktor guessed by the irregular sounds of their metal footsteps. The knights were as wounded as he was.

Viktor must have known that it was a really bad idea to fight against knights whose their shields and swords were covered with scales (probably from fallen dragons), however, it was all he could do to keep them from running after Yuri.

Umm ... The only problem is that now he was on the verge of death. Which... it didn't sounded so bad. Compared to him, Yuri was still a young dragon who had a partner and a lifetime ahead to enjoy. But Viktor...

Viktor knew the concept of something called 'Paradise' that humans use to don't have to be afraid of death. And if this paradise was real, maybe he could meet there with his parents and he won't be alone again.

The white dragon was still a cub when his parents died of old age. He didn't remember much of them. But his father was a white dragon and his mother a magenta dragon. And although they conceived him by mistake, they always assured him that they loved him and that they didn't regret for not having broken the egg to prevent him from being born.

Weeks after their death, a golden dragon named Lilia took care of him for like... forty years, maybe? Lilia was strict, but Viktor knew she cared for him and for the many other young dragons she adopted, which a lot of them lost their parents by the scales hunters or by other circumstances.

Oh! Maybe Lilia would also be in paradise. It was around twenty years ago that she had died of old age. And her human mate, Yakov Feltsman, was the one whom inherit her work as a dragons caretaker.

Viktor finally felt pain when the knights plucked several of his scales. But he was distracted by a familiar scent. It smelled like a dragon, but not quite... Besides, he was sure that there weren't any dragon nearby at that time. His confusion lasted until the human who they had referred as 'Captain' came and laid a palm on his neck in an attempt to comfort.

"Sorry. I didn't make it in time." He murmured, and Viktor didn't need to have a super ear to distinguish the guilt and pain in his voice.

Then he understood. The human smelled as a female dragon because he surely had a bond with one, which explained why he sounded so sad. If his mate dragon found out that he had to kill another dragon they would surely have marital problems. Viktor wanted to laugh at the idea, but it seemed a little cruel to do so even to him.

The white dragon wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he woke up from a terrible nightmare after smelling a sweet scent. It was fresh and gentle with his nose ... It reminded him of the sea. His favorite place in the world was precisely the sea. The sea relaxed him and made him feel less lonely. The smell intensified more and more, and it was when he felt a hand caressing one of his cheeks that he could opened his eyes.

Viktor didn't know much about humans, they never really interested him. He barely lived with them for a few years in the Capital with Yakov and other dragons before deciding that it was fot the best to go back to his nest; But what he did know was, definitely, that was the cutest human he had ever seen.

The features on his face were soft and his eyes were big and brown... like chocolate. Viktor's favorite human invention was chocolate. What he didn't like was to watch those chocolate eyes panic, so he didn't move to let the human know that he wouldn't hurt him, and it seemed to work.

The human stared at him in confusion for a long time until his eyes filled with sadness. Apparently the human felt sorry for him. And before Viktor could think of how made him feel that a human felt sorry for him, the human spoke.

"He-hello ..." He mumbled in fear, without having stopped trembling, and Viktor looked at him with curiosity for his courage. "I ... I want you to... take this." Then he showed him a bottle with a strange liquid inside. "It will take away the pain... At least that's what I expect ... I don't really know if this works with dragons..."

Viktor wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. First, a group of humans attacked him and then another human, a one especially adorable, begged him with his eyes to drink that kind of medicine... What if it was poison?

Well, his wounds were really painful. If that human wanted to help him die faster, or take away the pain as he said; Viktor thought he had absolutely nothing to lose. He opened his jaws and let some of the liquid spill on his tongue. Ugh! That thing really tasted awful.

Strange. The adorable human began to cry, but immediately wiped his tears out of shame. Then he walked slowly up to him and used a cloth on his wounds with the so-called medicine on it, and although it burned a little, Viktor felt a certain pleasure whenever his hands slid down his scales with extreme care, as if he feared to hurt him. He even stopped if Viktor moaned in pain.

"I must go now..." The adorable human announced as he gathered the cloth and the bottle back into his traveling bag. Parts of his clothes and hands were painted with Viktor's blue blood. And Viktor was surprised when the human approached his head to pet his nose and leaned his forehead against his cheek. "I hope you get better. But if you don't... I'm so sorry, some humans are so cruel..." And without looking back, the adorable human continued his way, making Viktor's heart ached and felt more pain than his wounds while he thought that he didn't want the human left him alone.

Yes, some humans were so cruel, but this one wasn't like them... He came, cried for him and healed his wounds, and then he left him behind. Why he didn't stay? Why he didn't take some of his scales as a reward? Why he did cure him if he had no intention of taming him? Viktor wanted to ask, but obviously the human wouldn't understand him, besides he was already gone.

Contrary to what he had suspected at first, after drank the medicine, Viktor felt a little better. His head still ached and his stomach was upset, not to mention the obvious open wounds that bothered him a lot, but what prevailed at that moment was a dream that promised to be relaxing. So he went back to sleep, and this time the nightmare was replaced by the lovely face of the human who saved him.

 

"Viktor?" He heard a familiar voice speak to him. The white dragon opened his blue eyes heavily and could see the worried human faces of Chris and Yuri through the moonlight. Especially the blond boy was the one who had the worst face of the two, visibly feeling guilty about his condition. "How are you, my friend?"

"I think..." He began to say, still a bit disoriented. "... a human saved my life."

"A human?" Chris repeated in surprise. Then he examined his wounds, probably using the little night vision that his human form allowed him, and he could see how the wounds were covered with medicine. "I see. That elixir will help your cuts not get infected ... Was that human the one who took your scales?" He said pointing at his thigh.

"N-no!" Viktor responded quickly, trying not to panic. He didn't want his friends to think badly about the adorable human who did everything he could to spoil him. "Those were the knights..."

"So, you mean... That human didn't take any of your scales?" Now the one who asked was Yuri, sounding rather incredulous. "Did he use the elixir on you and then left you?"

"Exactly... Oh, Yuri! I'm glad you're okay and you've came back for me. Thank you!" For some strange reason, Viktor was happy despite his deplorable state. His encounter with this adorable human made him realized that he needed to continue living and meet him again to thank him for his noble deed.

"I'm glad you're alive..." The blond boy muttered after a sigh between tired and relief. "Thank you for saving me. And... I'm sorry you're like this... I promise I will take care of you until you're healed."

"No," Viktor retorted gravely, but then he turned to a more sympathetic tone. "I don't need you to take care of me just because you feel guilty. Besides, you have other responsibilities. Yakov will be very angry at you if you fail to go to work. We both know you don't want to see him angry." He finished to said and laughed.

"Bu-but …"

"If you want to be of any help you can bring me some food. I'm starving to death..."

"Hey! Don't use the word 'death' so lightly!" Yuri shouted and covered his face with his shaking hands, he seemed about to cry.

"It's ok. Calm down." The green dragon put a hand on his shoulder and laughed. "You know Viktor is an idiot and talks without thinking. And if he is already saying stupid things is because he feels well and he will recover soon. Idiots are the last ones to die."

"Hey, I'm not an idiot." He said feeling slightly offended, but soon added. "Chris! You have to help me find the human who saved me. He will be my master!"

"What?!" Now it was Chris who looked at him as if he were in delirious. "Wow, you're worse than I imagined... Brain contusion..."

"No, no! I'm serious! This human... was very nice to me. When he was healing me he made sure to not to hurt me... And he didn't take any of my scales. He obviously respects us. "

Chris gave a weary sigh and dropped his shoulders in defeat. But he didn't seem to be completely convinced of his words.

"Okay, Viktor. I can look for him. But if it turns out to be a threat to us, I will not let you see him. Once you recovered, then you can decide by yourself whether you want to see him again or not. Agreed?"

"Agreed." The white dragon huffed reluctantly, but that was better than nothing. Because of the magnitude of his injuries, he knew that it would take at least one or two months before he would recover completely. He feared that, by then, the human would be far away...But he could always use his powerful nose to trace his sweet scent, though.

Despite the concern of the other two dragons of faced a possible threat, and Viktor's own worries of not see the human again, the adorable human returned the next day, and Viktor's heart jumped in joy. However, the human seemed frightened again, so the dragon decided not to push him and look away to make him understand that he wasn't alerted by his presence.

"I ... I'm glad you're okay." The human commented, and Viktor quickly looked at him. He liked his face. "I brought you more medicine. But... I don't know if you want to drink it again..." Then the dragon gave a sigh of annoyance. Viktor hated the taste of that thing. However, he stuck out his tongue and drank it, and he was rewarded with a radiant smile.

During his nearly two hundred years of live Viktor had never fallen in love. Yes, there were dragons he cared about but he considered them rather like his brothers and sisters. No one had ever made him felt so happy with his only presence. And it never occurred to him to think that his mate could be a human... In fact, for some reason that he didn't quite understand, he always believed that his mate would be a blue dragon (since he found the blue scale among the relics of his grandparents). However, he knew that this was impossible since blue dragons were extinct centuries ago.

On the fourth or fifth day of the constant visit of the human, Viktor couldn't stand the tension any longer and he needed to show his affection and how grateful he was with him... And the only way he could do that was by kissing the adorable human, stroking his cheeks with his tongue.

The human recoiled and fell backward on the ground, looking at him with his big, wide-open chocolates eyes. Viktor feared he had frightened him so he also backed up to give him space. After several seconds, the human stood up and looked at him with confusion, perhaps trying to decipher the gesture. Didn't humans know what a kiss was? The adorable human then laughed and approached him again to continued to petting him, to which Viktor responded with more kisses. This human definitely had to be his master.

More days passed and the adorable human continued to visit him without fail, and Viktor everytime fell more in love with him. The human even brought him food and water, which obviously wasn't enough to satisfy his hungry. However, other dragons were already responsible for bringing him food, and unfortunately, none of them could saw the human because they always visited him at night or very early in the morning, while his savior visited him in the afternoon and he was gone before the sunset.

Viktor was especially frustrated for being still so weak and unable to transmute so he could communicate with him. He did'nt even know his name!

 

"Is it true what they say, Viktor?" Georgi, a violet dragon, asked him in his human form, while he was carried a large bag with raw flesh inside.

"What?" He asked as he was stared hungrily at the bag, waiting for him to open it so he could eat.

"A human has been taking care of you and also doesn't rob you your scales! That's very romantic, don't you think?!" Georgi exclaimed in his typical sweet voice and raised his arms to the sky, even made a couple of ballet moves to accentuate the drama. Not for nothing he was a theater actor.

"Eh... Don't pay me much attention, but I don't find it very romantic that he found me wounded and almost dead, but... Yes. I hope the human still wants to be with me after I show him my transmutation."

"Oh, I'm sure the human will love you." He snorted, dismissing the matter with his hands, forgetting the romanticism. "For some reason, girls go crazy with your human aspect."

"Mhmm... I don't know much about humans, but I'm pretty sure this one is a male."

"Oh. In that case, he still will love you. Don't worry about it." Georgi opened the bag and brought the food closer to him.

A few days later, it was another dragon's turn to bring him food.

"Umm... Viktor, I don't want to sound pessimistic, but ..." Leo, a garnet dragon who earned his living as a Bard, said. "...have you thought about... perhaps... the human doesn't know the value of your scales?" The white dragon immediately looked at him in surprise. He hadn't considered that fact. "I mean ..." Leo rubbed his hands, wondering if he should continue speaking after noticing his hurt expression. "I wouldn't want that he decided to take advantage of you and sell them."

Viktor said nothing in return and looked down. He couldn't ignore that possibility. Thinking about it hurt him. But that couldn't be true! The adorable human had the most tender and innocent smile he had ever seen in his life. He just couldn't be that kind of selfish human! But... on the other hand, if that were the case... Viktor was more than willing to give him all the scales he wanted if that made him stay with him...

 

"It's a book about dragons." The human said, several days later, opening a book to show him a one specific page, which had illustrations of other dragons. "It says that exists several races of dragons, and they are distinguished by their colors. Besides, their scales are as valuable as silver and gold, but you..." He turned the page and Viktor saw his eyebrows twitch in a gesture of annoyance. "You are a white dragon, a rare specimen even by the standards of your species. Your scales have the same value, or even more, than diamonds... Is that why they attacked you?" Viktor perceived sadness in his eyes and that made him felt extremely relieved. The adorable human really cares about him and he hadn't intentions of selling his scales. "Ah... I don't even know if you can understand me at all." He sighed. Viktor poke the human's face with his nose and that startled him. "Are you saying that you can... understand me?" Viktor shook his head to say yes, then the human smiled and pet his cheeks. "I see. It's good to know."

Viktor, pleased by the mutual affection, nuzzled his face against his body, but at that moment he wished he could transmute and hold him in his arms. However, their intimate moment was interrupted by the golden dragon.

"So, you're the one who's been caring Viktor."

After a few seconds, the adorable human began to act strangely and stood before him with outstretched arms.

Oh! He was trying to protect him. How adorable!

"Tsk. I don't have to explain anything to you." Yuri replied sternly, but not raising his voice, after the adorable human asked him about the knights. "The best thing you can do right now is leave us and never don't come back. For your sake, I hope you haven't told anyone about Viktor."

The blond boy advanced towards them with the clear intention of using force to move away the adorable human from him. However, Viktor growled, and using his front teeth, he pulled the human from his clothes to lift him off the ground and then carefully placed him between his paws.

Yuri then stopped and sighed with annoyance.

"Okay. You win. After all he saved your life... But you will be responsible for him! I won't to take care of him!" He exclaimed pointing a finger accusingly at him. "So don't come crying to me if something happens to your human!"

Oh... OH... 'Your Human'. He liked how that sounded. Viktor had never had a mate and he didn't remember that, generally, dragons used to referred to their humans mates in that way.

"Of course!" He answered, feeling really cheered by the idea. "Don't worry about us, Yuri. As soon as I regain my strength I will be able to take care of MY human as he has done with me." The blond boy looked at him with disgust.

"W-Wait, what are you talking about?" Asked the adorable human, who apparently didn't understand what was going on around him.

"Itsn't obvious? Do I have to explain everything?!" The blond boy exclaimed in anger, starting to become exasperated. "You are a human, you are a threat for all of us! Well... In your case you had the goodwill to help Viktor, though I don't know why you did it. If I discovered that you are doing this only for his scales, I will rip your heart out with my own hands!" He said and showed his sharp nails. Viktor could see how his human was shaking in fear, and that didn't please him.

"Yuri! I know you are trying to make him angry, but don't be so hard on him!"

"Yes, yes, whatever." He tilted his head from side to side, not cared about the scolding.

"And ask his name. I want to be able to thank my savior for all he has done for me."

"Viktor says he wants to thanks to you for everything you've done for him. And he wants to know your name."

"Ah? ..." For a moment his human fell silent, as if he was hesitat to answer, yet he continued. "My... my name is Yuuri."

Yuuri... What a lovely name! He could even hear the difference between Yuri and Yuuri.

"I... I know this is not my business, but... I'm sorry about Viktor" Yuuri commented a few minutes later, leaning his forehead against his cheek. Viktor couldn't help but purring at the sound of his name. "I'm not going to hurt you. I think dragons are magnificent. But... I don't like how this 'master' thing sounds..."

"It's all right, Yuuri! I can't think of another human to be my master more than you! Even if you hadn't saved me, I'm sure that I would still love to have you as my master!" Viktor couldn't help saying. To his luck, Yuri was in the mood to translate his cheesy words (perhaps because of the guilt he still felt).

"Mmh... Viktor says it's okay. He doesn't mind you being his master... He also says that if you had met under another circumstances, he would have made you his master anyway."

"Tell him that I am in love with him and I swear eternal loyalty to him!"

"Oi! I'm not going to say him that!" Yuri exclaimed, his face completely red. They both knew that to swear eternal loyalty to a human was something intimate. And the golden dragon had already done it with his own human and that wasn't something he would wanted to repeat even if it was a translation, because it felt like he was cheating on Otabek (Yes, even if he suspected him). "You tell him when you can transform! Don't drag me into your nonsenses!"

"But Yuriiiii!" He protested, and the other dragon turned his head to ignore him.

Despite his attempts to get Yuri to pass on his other messages to his savior, he decided to be patient. Just one more day and they could be together forever...! Although, for some reason, Yuuri didn't seem to share his enthusiasm...

"But... I don't know if I can take him with me. I don't have enough money to rent him a room... "

"Oh! It's about money." Yuri raised an arm to the height of his chest and showed his scales. Then he took three and handed them to Yuuri. "Go to a jewelry shop and trade them. I'm sure they'll give you a lot for them. And if they ask you where you found them, tell them you were looking for mushrooms on the south side of the town."

"Thank you..." Yuuri smiled and even his cheeks flushed. No... no... Wait. Viktor wasn't jealous, was he?

"Yuri! Give him one of my scales! "

"Don't be stupid! If he sells one of your scales, they will know he found you and they will asking him questions."

"Oh!... You're right... Then just giving him one so he can have it. Is it normal for a dragon to give theirs scales to his master, right?"

"Ugh, whatever." The blond boy walked up to him and pulled a scale from his neck, then threw it at Yuuri and it hit him on the forehead. "For you, from Viktor. But don't you dare to sell it."

"Thanks... And thank you, Viktor." Yuuri laughed and the white dragon thought that was the most beautiful sound he could hear from his mouth. "I ... I must go now. It's almost night."

"Okay then. We'll be waiting for you here tomorrow."

And before Yuuri would left, Viktor hurried to give him a farewell kiss.

The next day, after Viktor was able to transmute into human without tiring him so much in the attempt, Yuuri came out of his hiding behind the trees and looked at him from head to toe without being able to hide his astonishment. He walked a few steps towards him but then stopped, seemed hesitant.

Oh, right. Viktor had forgotten that Yuuri was a little shy, so he decided to be the one to come near and hug him, and he felt a huge relief when his master hugged him back and smiled at him. Viktor wasn't able to contain more his happiness, so decided to kiss Yuuri and ... Wow! Human kisses were amazing! The touch between their lips felt more warm and intimate.

However, Yuuri pushed him and backed down so he fell backwards onto the grass. Uh, déjà vu. Viktor bent down to help him to get up.

"Yuuri? What's wrong?" He asked, blinking in confusion.

"Y-You kissed me!" He accused him with a finger and stepped back, his face completely red with embarrassment. Oh, so Yuuri know what a kiss was...

"Yes, so what?" He smiled and rushed against him to hug him again. "Oh, come on, Yuuri! Don't be shy now. I've been kissing you for days."

"W-what?! How?! When?!... " Yuuri's chocolate eyes suddenly opened wide, as if he had just realized something. "Ah... but... I... I had no idea..."

"Yuuri." Viktor called him and the dark-haired man finally looked at him. "I feel so lucky to have a human as kind as you. You're my savior. That's why I making an eternal vow of loyalty to you and I promise you that I will always be at your side. You are my master now, so you can do whatever you want with me..." He said and separated from his master, but only to take his hands and kiss them with affection.

He could see with delight Yuuri's cheeks painted more and more red, and he had trouble holding his gaze. After all, Georgi was right; His human aspect was liking for his master.

 

"Yuuri," Viktor called him with a whining voice, cupping his cheeks so he would looked at him and only at him, after he realized that Yuuri's attention seemed to be centered on the golden dragon. "It's okay if you care about Yurio, but don't forget that I'm your dragon. Okay?"

"Vi-Viktor... O-okay..." Yuuri managed to nod in a shaky voice. Viktor tried to kiss him again to reaffirm his presence, but his master took him by the wrists and forced him to let him go. "We'd better be going now to the town! Y-you look tired..."

"Oh... Yes. You're right." Feeling rejected, he took Yuuri's hands and kissed them as another way to show his affection. Viktor reminded himself that Yuuri was shy... Or maybe he still didn't get used to his change of appearance, which was understandable. Either of the two reasons, he realized that he must be patient with him. He owed his life, and Viktor wasn't in a hurry. "You'll have to allow me to lean on you. My leg."

"Oh! That's true..." Yuuri looked at him with concern for a moment. Then he turned around and rested one knee on the ground, ofering him a piggyback ride. "Come on. This way will be faster."

Viktor's blue eyes opened in surprise at the same time he felt his heart racing and his cheeks light up. He couldn't believe that... Yuuri had offered to carry him on his back! Just like in the legend of the wounded dragon who was carried by his master, also wounded!

"Ah! Yu-Yuuri. I couldn't ask you that..." Was his master aware of what he was saying? Does humans also know that legend?

"It's okay. I'm stronger than I look. And the Inn where I'm staying in is a few minutes from here." He said with a smile so radiant that Viktor knew that, if there were someone whom he trusted more in this world, that was definitely Yuuri.

Yuuri was the one who gave him back the hopes of living and showed him what disinterested love was. And of course Viktor wanted to do the same for him; Spend the rest of his life at his side and be happy together.

"Uh... Well. If you insist."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Viktor woke up, he saw Yuuri reading one of the books of the shelf, and he was so focused that he didn't notice when Viktor returned to his human form and hugged him from behind, resting his head on his left shoulder, and nuzzled into Yuuri's neck to smell his sweet aroma. Yuuri felt tickled and giggled.

"Do you understand what it says?" He questioned unintentionally sounding incredulous, but he knowing that his human was so intelligent that, if Yuuri told him that he knew the meaning of life, he would believe him without hesitation.

"Just a little." He admitted a bit embarrassment, but turned to kiss him on the cheek. Viktor then took his chin and kissed him on the lips, making him blush. "Oh. Viktor, look." He closed the book, leaving the loupe between the pages he was reading and showed him spine of the book. "This author has your name."

"Oh yeah! My father found that book in one of his travels, and my mother liked the author's name so much that she give it to me.

Remember, I was an unplanned baby, so I guess it was easier for them to use the books as a names references." He laughed and Yuuri did as well.

"I see... And ... Umm. Do you have any idea what is this book about? "

"No. I don't. Why?" He looked at him with concernd after noticing his serious face. Then the dark-haired man leave the book on his legs and looked for his cloth purse to get a blue scale out of there.

"It was inside the book ..."

The silver-haired man looked at the scale with surprise and took it between his fingers to examine it. It looked a lot like the blue scale inside the silver box and those in the ancient sword. They were even the same size. Although he couldn't distinguish any scent coming from it, Viktor was sure it have to be belonged to the same blue dragon.

Viktor didn't say anything else, he just watched the scale, so Yuuri continued.

"The book is a kind of battle log," He said, still trying to translate the exact words into his brain. "Apparently, this Nikiforov was a warrior of the Roman Empire. And by the names of the leaders and the emperor he mentions, I dare to say that it dates back more than a thousand years. He even mentions that he was forced to take under his command a dragon because of his high rank, so he chose a blue one."

"Oh? And what kind of relationship they had?"

"Umm... I don't know. But this scale is in good condition, isn't it? So... they must have had a close relationship, I guess. I haven't finished reading the book and some pages are stuck together... It might mention their relationship somewhere. In any case, my Latin is not that good as to understand everything perfectly. And the name of the dragon is written in kanji. I may have asian heritage, but that doesn't mean I know the language." He chuckled

"Yuuri, how about you keep the book and try to translate it? It sounds like there is an interesting story behind!" Viktor remembered how once he thought his partner must had be a blue dragon, so he was curious to know what it had written in the book. However, he definitely preferred Yuuri a thousand of times over.

"Okay, if you insist..." He nodded, though slightly embarrassed by the vote of confidence. "But I think it would be the best to leave it here. If I take it to the town, there will a chance that someone else will find it and steal it from us. It is a very old book and it must be very valuable, surely any bandit would like to have it in their collection. I can continue my studies of Latin and translate it every time we return to the cave."

"Oh... so, do you want to come back here?" The silver-haired man asked with some shyness. He didn't want to admit it, but he was worried that Yuuri wouldn't like his nest and wouldn't want to come back again. He hoped Yuuri would adopt is nest as his second home.

"Of course, Viktor. Your nest is very pretty, and it's also very comfortable" He smiled, and the dragon couldn't help blushing. Yuuri set the book aside and cupping Viktor's cheek to bring their lips together, but now in a rather tender kiss."... But maybe we could get some new sheets and more kitchen utensils, though." He added with a playful smile.

"Of course, Yuuri! This is also your nest. You can include your own treasures!" He hugged Yuuri tighter, thinking he was the luckiest dragon in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To know when updates are, you can follow me on my tumblr. You can also see my illustrations and comics/doujins Viktuuri ;D
> 
> http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/


	9. The trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor's fears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay! My laptop had some technical problems, and it took two weeks to be repaired :c
> 
> PD: Please keep in mind that English is not my native language, I did my best to translate this. Enjoy!  
> And remember to leave comments so I will know what you like or disliked about my work~!

Months had passed since the first time Yuuri had visited Viktor's nest, which he now regarded it as his second home. They returned there every weekend to take advantage of the intimacy of the cave and do the things they normally couldn't do in the Inn due to embarrassment. In addition, Viktor could share with him, without fear of being heard by other humans, about his travels through the World and told him about the different types of humans with different facial features with which he had once interacted and how confused he felt that each continent had a different culture. Yuuri was amazed to hear it because Viktor even told him about cities he didn't know did existed, since there were not cartographic maps of them yet (although Viktor had some that he had collected over the years).

During the time spent in their nest, Yuuri had managed to translate more passages from Viktor Nikiforov's book, but only a few pages and enough to know that the author was a Roman warrior who respected dragons and, unlike others Warriors, he didn't treat his blue dragon as a slave and he knew about its transmutation.

Yuuri, although he enjoyed spending time in their nest, his 'human part' asked for another kind of comfort. He had saved enough money, adding the one of Yurio's scales, which he spent only on clothes and whims for Viktor; so maybe he could rent or buy a house of his own. But he wasn't sure if he should do it yet, since Viktor still didn't feel very comfortable around humans whom weren't Emil, Otabek or Minako.

Viktor could only had a relatively comfortably chat with humans inside the Inn, and that was because he felt safe with Sara and Mila at his side (because when Yuuri returned from work, he automatically ignored everyone to focus solely on him).

The dark-haired man had tried too many times to get his boyfriend out of the Inn to walk around the village. At first he didn't too often because of Viktor's injured leg and because women tended to clustered around him, then Viktor begged him to return to their room. But as soon as his wounds healed, with only scars drawn over his body, they could already enjoy a certain freedom, especially because the white dragon liked to make it clear that he wasn't single while walking hand by hand with his boyfriend, sometimes stopping to kiss Yuuri. Ironically, the more public there was, the more pleased Viktor felt about it, while Yuuri, the more public there was, the more embarrassed he felt (but it wasn't something that really bothered him).

Nonetheless, little by little, Viktor had learned how to not to fear the soldiers that patrolled the town, since Michele, Emil and Otabek assured to him that they would intervene in his favor if something happened.

However, their efforts to make Viktor feel safe were a little frustrated when, one night when he and Yuuri were alone while returned to the town after spending the weekend in their nest, they encountered a group of soldiers patrolling the forest. It was obvious that they were still looking for the white dragon and the golden one.

It wasn't a direct encounter, and they managed to hide in time between the branches of a tree when Viktor quickly climbed it with Yuuri on his back, but the dark-haired man could tell that his boyfriend held his breath and trembled with fear. Yuuri at first didn't know how to react, but without much of thought, he took Viktor's cheeks and forced him to look away from the intruders to instead look at him. Because of the darkness, they couldn't see each other faces clearly, but that was enough for Viktor to regain consciousness and hugged Yuuri as the metal steps moved away from them.

"It's all right, Viktor. They're all gone." Yuuri whispered into his ear as he slowly stroked his silver hair and back, and the white dragon began to breathe more calmly.

"Yuuri... Please don't let them take me away from you." Viktor murmured as he hide his face on his boyfriend's neck, and Yuuri felt hot drops falling over his shoulder.

"Of course, Viktor. I'll never allow it." He held Viktor tighter to remind him that he was there at his side, to let him know that he would never let anyone else to hurt him. And Yuuri gathered all the strength he could to no to cry too. He needed to stay calm for his dragon.

That day they decided that they shouldn't return to their nest for a while.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Viktor was completely recovered from his wounds, which it took him longer to heal (perhaps due to his advanced age), he reminded that he had promised to Yuuri take him to the Capital to introduce him to his friends. Yuuri agreed and asked for some days off at his work, which he were allowed to took them without problems because he was a good worker, not to mention the fact that Minako was his supervisor and she also gave him extra days.

But the next issue was how to get there. The Capital was five days on foot, four in horse-drawn carriages, and half a day for an ordinary dragon (to Yurio and his speed was a matter of hours).

"I'll carry you on my back." Viktor said with a big smile. For months he had wished to carry his boyfriend on his back as a dragon, but Yuuri grimaced.

"Viktor, I don't think that's a good idea..." He said, although it hurt him to see Viktor's blue eyes looking at him with disappointment.

"Yuuri!" He exclaimed, hurt, but he threw himself over his boyfriend in the bed to hug him and continue talking with his head on Yuuri's shoulder. "I have lived for hundred ninety years and I have only been caught once, and that was because I defended Yurio... You don't need to worry too much. I'm a white dragon, my scales allow me to fly during the day while reflecting the rays of the sun, and that somehow helps me to camouflage in the sky."

"Yes, I get it... But..."

"Yuuri..." Viktor pleaded, looking up and blinking flirtatiously in an attempt of seduction, but the dark-haired man laughed.

"... Ok. You win." He surrendered, kissed his forehead, and nearly took off his spectacles and blow out the candle to sleep until his brain decided to continue worrying. "But ... Are you sure you want to go to the Capital? There must be plenty of people... and soldiers..." Yuuri didn't mean to scare him, but he knew that, if Viktor sensed the smell of the humans who attacked him..., there would be chances that he would panic like the last time.

"I..." Viktor paused for a moment, hugging Yuuri tighter, and nuzzled into his neck to smell his scent. "I'll be fine as long as you're with me. I know that my beloved Scribe will defend me from hundreds of Knights." He said playfully and Yuuri rolled his eyes.

"Sure, Viktor. I'll use the tip of my goose quill pen against their sharp swords." He said sarcastically and the silver-haired man laughed.

"Hey! I heard once that 'The pen is mightier than the sword'!"

"Viktor, that's a metaphor. It's not literal."

"I have no idea what 'metaphor' or 'literal' means," He admitted without embarrassment as he smiled. Then he cupped Yuuri's cheek and looked at him with loving eyes. "Stop worrying so much, Yuuri. Just enjoy it and let's do that trip our honeymoon."

"Well, technically we're not married..." Yuuri replied, though he did so on purpose because it amused him to see Viktor trying to argue that.

In their first two months of relationship, they used to say they were boyfriends until Viktor realized the difference between 'boyfriend' and 'husband'. The real equivalent for 'mate' for a dragon was 'husband' or 'wife' to a human.

"Yuuri! Of course we're married!" He replied frowning, and brought his hands from Yuuri's face to put them on the mattress and see him in the eyes.

"Not legally." Yuuri said trying not to laugh. His dragon looked adorable while pouting.

"I don't care about human laws! You are my mate, and we have already mated so many times, and that makes you my husband!"

"Viktor!" He exclaimed blushing, covering Viktor's mouth with both hands. "I already told you that word is not the term we humans use for 'that'. And you don't have to yell it. There must be people already sleeping in the inn."

"Oh, I'm sorry," The silver-haired man said. Not sorry, though. And he lay down on Yuuri's shoulder again, entwining one of his hands together. "So, when will we get married according to humans' manners?" He inquired curiously, and Yuuri blushed.

"Aah... I don't know. We humans have a ... sort of a ritual for that." He began to explain as he used his right hand fingers to caressed Viktor's silver hair. "We need to exchange engagement rings and meet the family of both sides. I need to introduce you to my family and ask them for their blessing. We cannot marry without their blessing."

"What?! Do you mean that if your family doesn't accept me you won't marry me?!"

"Viktor, lower your voice." Yuuri warned him again, and he would have been mad at him, but his dragon looked really frightened at the idea. Yuuri then let out a weary sigh. "Of course I will marry you, even if my family opposes. But I'm pretty sure that will not be the case. I can assure you that they will love you. In their letters they say they are eager to meet you." He smiled, and the silver-haired man was so relief that he showed his heart-shaped smile.

"Now that I remember, Sara told me that when humans marry, one of them inherits the other's last name. And since I don't have one, does that mean I'll be Viktor Katsuki, right?" After hearing that, Yuuri's face immediately flushed. "Oh! I see you like that idea, too!" He laughed, and gave Yuuri a quick kiss on the lips before another idea occurred to him. "Yuuri! We have to visit your family on this trip and ask them for their blessing! Your village is near the Capital, isn't it?"

"Um, yes," He replied thoughtfully. "My village is three days from here, but it takes another road. I thought we were going to by carriage so I didn't think about the possibility of going to visit them. But... if we go through the sky, we could get there in about six hours and stay there for a couple of days before we get going to the Capital."

"Six hours?" He repeated in disbelief, and the dark-haired man looked at him curiously. "Don't underestimate me, Yuuri. If flying to the Capital takes me four hours, then I should be able to reach your village in two hours."

"Really? Four hours? Can you fly that fast?" Yuuri asked impressively. "Yurio told me that it usually takes him six hours to run to the Capital."

"Of course! Now do you see how convenient it is to have a mighty white dragon like your husband?" He said with a flirtatious look, but Yuuri laughed.

"Boyfriend." He corrected, and the silver-haired man rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh, though he wasn't annoying.

"Okay, Yuuri. We'll do this in your way." Viktor said as he sat on the bed and leaned his back on the headboard. "But I'm still your husband." He added, and before Yuuri could reply, he continued. "You mentioned something about an exchange of rings."

"The rings, right..." He murmured, and sat on the mattress too, resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder, then Viktor wrapped one arm around his waist. "We have to buy the engagement rings, but they are quite expensive. I'm not sure how much it is, but at least two months of my salary they should cost." Yuuri thought that, if they bought the rings now, they wouldn't have the money for a house. "After the rings and the approval of the family, the wedding is held in a church."

"Does the rings cost more than one of my scales?" Viktor questioned in a seemingly innocent voice, but his human knew him well enough to know what he was thinking.

"Your scales worth the same as one year of my salary. And no, Viktor, we won't sell any of your scales to buy the rings."

"But, Yuuri...!" He complained with a groan. "Chris could sell them and no one would have to know."

"Viktor." He spoke with so much seriousness that that made Viktor immediately looked like a scolded puppy. "You know there are still soldiers looking for you. And if they find out that there were white scales in the markets, they will investigate it until they reach us. "

"I guess... you're right." Viktor said, feeling a bit frustrated that he couldn't be of help. What was the point of having really valuable scales if he couldn't sell them?

"Besides... I don't want anyone but me to have your scales. I'm your husband, remember?" He dared to say with a playfully smile to comfort him, which resulted and caused Viktor to blush and his blue eyes glowed with joy.

"Oh, Yuuri, you're right. I don't even know why I suggested that! My scales are only yours!" He put his arms around Yuuri's shoulders and pressed their lips together for several seconds.

"I was thinking..." Yuuri said after blew the candle and leaving his spectacles on the bedside table, as they both settled back into bed. The silver-haired man entangled their legs. "Phichit is a blacksmith. Maybe he could craft our rings or get us a pair at a good price." Viktor didn't answer but kissed his hair lazily, so Yuuri assumed he was falling asleep, so he followed his example and closed his eyes.

The next morning, after breakfast, Yuuri finished packing their travel bags, making sure to bring several changes of clothes, gourd canteens, a couple of books, medicines just in case, maps with routes already marked and a rope; while Viktor helped Sara make lunch in case they were hungry on the way. When Yuuri went to the dining room to tell his mate that everything was ready, he saw Phichit coming out of the kitchen, and that reminded him that they need to talk to him about the rings within fifteen days, when they return to the Inn.

"Phichit. Good morning." Yuuri greeted him with a smile, but then looked suspiciously at his friend as the orange dragon looked at him in surprise. "Oh, don't tell me you were trying to steal food from the kitchen again." Phichit laughed.

"Yuuri, it hurts me that you suspect me like that!" He pretended to be offended and brought a hand to his forehead dramatically, making Yuuri to laugh. "But no, not this time. Actually..." He approached the human to whisper at his ear and used a hand as a wall. "Viktor asked me for some tips of how to deal with your parents, since I'm the one with the most experience interacting with humans. But don't tell him I told you." Then he returned to his normal voice. "We dragons don't do events that have to do with our partner, so we don't understand why humans need to do it to feel that their relationship is approved by others," He commented thoughtfully. "So, Viktor is ... a little nervous. He wants to do the things right to make a good impression on your family."

"Oh, I see... Thank you for telling me." He said, feeling a little bad for making Viktor worry about that when Yuuri himself was totally sure that his parents would accept him without problems. But at the same time, he was flattered that his dragon was willing to try their ways.

"You're welcome! I just want the best for my favorite lovey dovey couple." He gave Yuuri a quick hug and then released him with a smile. "I wish you a good trip and hope you two come back in one piece. And ah! You don't have to worry about anything. In the Capital there are many dragons who will take care of you. Don't forget you're a celebrity!" He winked and Yuuri sighed as he tilted his head in denial.

"I guess..." Yuuri shrugged. As Chris had told him, rumors of a white dragon being saved by a human, which later became 'his master', had spread among the dragon community and even that made Yuuri became a celebrity among them. However, he doubted that this was true and that it was surely the green dragon that he was exaggerating things.

After the lunch were ready, the couple said goodbye to the other dragons and left the Town carrying a couple of bags not too heavy with them. As usual, they left shortly before dawn so they wouldn't be disturbed by a crowd, and thus being able to enjoy the pink panorama in silence and with few birds singing. They walked several feets through the forest, and Yuuri was feeling more and more nervous while Viktor tried to calm him by held his hand tightly and a reassuring smile; until they were far enough away from the Town, and the silver-haired man transmuted into a dragon.

Yuuri walked over and pet him for a few seconds before pulling the rope. Viktor helped him to hold the rope with his fangs while the dark-haired man wrapped it around his neck and made sure to leave a knot loosely enough to keep him from strangling him. And before mounting it, he tied the bags and his own waist at the end of the rope and made another knot to create a sort of leash. Viktor then licked his face after helping him up on his back.

The white dragon could feel his mate trembling and clinging nervously to his back, and felt sorry for not being able to communicate with him with words, so he tried to feet off the ground in the most subtle way possible. Yuuri, sensing the movement, closed his eyes and tried not to think of the thousand reasons why this was a bad idea. He didn't want to be pessimistic. He knew that Viktor was very excited about the trip and the fact that he could use his wings for the first time since they were healed, and that he wanted Yuuri to enjoy the flight as much as he did.

After some minutes of feeling the wind caressing his face and hearing the sound of flapping wings, Yuuri opened his eyelids a little and did his best to sit down. At first he was a little disoriented and his head felt dizzy from the height, but soon the blue sky, still a bit pink, in front of his eyes managed to distract him. And, taking all the courage he had at that moment, he looked down.

The scenery was... just amazing. Yuuri could see the trees, the rivers, and other villages as small as ants and being illuminated by the timid rays of the sun that barely peered through the mountains. And the morning breeze smelled so clean and familiar that his nerves were quite appeased. Even a flock of birds flew close to them and amused them with their air show. Yuuri didn't know when he had stopped shaking, and a smile appeared in his mouth. Viktor could perceive his change of mood and that made him feel more relaxed.

The flight was silent but not uncomfortable. Yuuri mentally thanked Viktor for insisting on wearing a long-sleeved tunic so the wind wouldn't make him cold. And after an hour and a half, he raised his voice to tell his dragon to turn northwest.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After landing on a forest near the village, Viktor waited until his mate untied the rope and then helped him down his back. And the next thing he did was immediately returned to his human form, hugged and kissed Yuuri several times, passing his lips through his forehead and cheeks, arguing that felt very lonely for not being able to talk and see him during those two hours. Yuuri laughed at his drama but kissed him back anyway.

They were still away from the village, as they had just landed far away to prevent anyone from seeing them. And as they walked there, Yuuri remembered to Viktor, in a low voice, the little script they had prepared to explain his origin. It was obvious that the dark-haired man couldn't tell his family that his husband was a dragon (though Yuuri had promised that he would tell them when he thought appropriated and only if Viktor felt comfortable with it). But the silver-haired man could only think that, if Yuuri's family was as sweet as him, then he would have nothing to worry about.

As they advanced inside the village, Viktor could see at first glance that the structure of the place was different. In the town where he lived with Yuuri, the houses were made of adobe with wooden ceilings, and its economy was based on trading; while in Yuuri's home village, the houses were rather modest and entirely wooded, with plots of wheat and fruit trees and nearby rivers that facilitated irrigation. It reminded him that Yuuri had already told him that he had worked for many years in the vineyard of his family.

Viktor allowed himself to be guided by Yuuri's hand, although every now and then a human who had recognized the dark-haired man came up to them and asked cordial questions about how Yuuri felt living in another town. The silver-haired man then didn't hesitate to present himself as Yuuri's 'boyfriend', having to swallow his pride to say 'husband' if he didn't want to raise suspicions, because, apparently, as long as they didn't wearing rings, their relationship didn't seem valid to other humans.

"Yuuri-chan! It's great to see you again!" Exclaimed a female human hugging Yuuri. Viktor would have taken her off his mate, but the girl had a pleasant scent, combined with four others, which clearly meant that she was a human with a partner and surely had children. "And who is this handsome man who is with you?"

"I'm Yuuri's boyfriend." Viktor replied with a big smile and wrapping around the mentioned with his arms possessively.

"Oh! You must be Viktor!" The girl smiled. "Yuuri, I'm so happy for you! When at twenty you still didn't have a girlfriend, I thought you would stay single for life."

"Yuuko!" Yuuri exclaimed, feigning indignation, although it was obvious that it bothered him a little. Viktor figured that this wouldn't be the first time that someone had pointed out his former singleness, which he could sympathize with, because he had also received disbelieving comments from other dragons about his lack of a mate at one hundred and fifty years. "Ah, Viktor." Yuuri turned to look at him with a smile, the ones that made him put of all his attention on him. "She is my childhood friend, Yuuko Nishigori. I've told you about her before." Ah. That confirmed his suspicions. Married with children. There was no danger.

"Nice to meet you, Viktor." Yuuko bowed. The girl wore a long tunic up to her knees and work boots. "I would like to stay longer, but I must return to the fields to harvest the crops. I had no idea that you would come! Does your mother already know?"

"No... It was a sudden decision." He answered with some embarrassment, trying not to give details. "If we had sent a letter, we would have arrived first anyway."

"Oh, I see." The girl nodded understanding. "You are going to stay at your parents' house, right?" The dark-haired man nodded. "In that case, I'll go to see you later with the girls and Takeshi so you can tell us about your new work and life. Although from what I see in advance, I know you're doing very well." She added winking at Viktor and Yuuri blushed.

The chestnut girl said farewell and returned to work. Only a couple of minutes later Viktor and Yuuri reached a house that looked just as modest as the others, but Viktor could tell the difference from the rest because of it came a sweet aroma similar to Yuuri (but Yuuri smelled better, obviously).

"I'm home!" Announced the dark-haired man after opening the door, and as soon as they closed it behind them, they heard hurried footsteps approaching the hall, then, behind a sliding door appeared a plump brown-haired woman who also wore spectacles, and her gentle face formed a big smile.

"Oh, my baby!" Said the woman hugging Yuuri tightly, and Viktor quickly recognized her as his mother by her aroma and physical resemblance. "Yuuri, what a joy to see you at home! But why didn't you tell us you will come?! "

"I'm sorry, Mom. It was a little... improvised." He said, because it wasn't a lie at all.

"Are you going to stay for some days?" She asked hopefully and Yuuri nodded. "Ah! But I haven't cleaned your room in months and...!" Then her gaze fell on the other man after noticing his presence and her eyes opened wide with surprise. "Oh! I suppose this handsome gentleman must be Viktor."

Viktor, still a little nervous because, despite Phichit's advice, he didn't know what to do in that situation, he really didn't have to do anything because the woman immediately hugged him as a welcome.

"My name is Hiroko Katsuki. I'm Yuuri's mother. But you can also call me 'mom' if you want to." She said, still smiling, and Viktor felt as a weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders. "Yuuri has told me so much about you in his letters, which means that you must be a good man to have earned his heart."

"Mom! That's embarrassing!" Yuuri exclaimed, his face totally red with embarrassment and hiding behind his hands. Viktor laughed and put an arm around his shoulders to support a cheek over his black hair.

"Yes, I'm Viktor. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mom." As soon as she heard him say that, Hiroko smiled.


	10. The family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Yuuri's family~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PD: Please keep in mind that English is not my native language, I did my best to translate this. Enjoy!
> 
> And remember to leave comments so I will know what you like or disliked about my work~!

After met Toshiya and Mari Katsuki, whom returned home at sunset after their work in the vineyard, and then presented themselves as the father and sister of his boyfriend; Viktor and the Katsuki family reunited in the dining room to share a pleasant, albeit at first a little tense, family meal, which he had helped Hiroko to cook while Yuuri had been cleaning his old room so it could be ready by bedtime.

"So, Viktor ..." Toshiya said after sipping his tea. "What are your intentions with my boy?"

"Marry him, of course." He said as if it was obvious response, and Yuuri almost choked on his food while Mari laughed at his audacity. Somehow, that broke the little tension left. And sadly, Viktor couldn't tell them that they were actually married, at least from the point of view of dragons. So he added right away. "So I would love to have your blessing for that." He said, and showed his heart-shaped smile.

"Oh, how direct! Isn't he charming, Toshiya?" Hiroko said, also laughing, and the man nodded, apparently pleased by Viktor's answer.

"I see. From what Yuuri has told us in his letters, you two have maintained a stable relationship for months, so a wedding would be the most obvious and appropriate next step in your relationship. So yes, of course you have our blessing."

"Thank you!" Yuuri and Viktor said at once, but each in a different tone. While Yuuri was breathing a sigh of relief, Viktor threw himself over him to embrace him as he was invaded by happiness.

"So when is the wedding, huh?" Yuuri's sister asked as she poured more tea on everybody cups.

"We still have no date," Yuuri replied. "We are saving money to buy a house and rings, not to mention the cost of the ceremony..."

"Yuuri, honey. Whatever you need, that's what your family is for." Hiroko assured him with a smile. "But, tell us, how did you two meet? I know you mentioned it in your letters, but we want to hear it from you two."

The white dragon could see his mate tensing, so he decided to talk first. They had already practiced that speech a couple of times before. But since Viktor was an almost two hundred years old dragon, it wouldn't be the first time he had to have a fake story to explain his origin, since his human appearance changed very slowly over the years.

Even once he had to impersonate his own 'son' because an old human recognized his appearance. Yuuri laughed a lot when he told him that story.

"We met a few months ago, when I was on my way to my new job at the Inn of my friend Mila. I was attacked by thieve and they left me very badly wounded in the road. But Yuuri passed by and stopped to help me." He took Yuuri's waist and pulled him closer. "If Yuuri hadn't helped me, I would have died by bleeding. He is my savior! At first I was just very grateful to him, but by spending time together we fell in love, and I'm looking forward to getting married with him."

"Awww. Yuuri, I'm so proud of you for helping out a stranger." His mother said with a giggle. "And thanks to that, you and Viktor met. You two make such a cute couple!"

"Tha-thanks..." Yuuri said, blushing, and Viktor kissed him on his temple before releasing him, so he could stretching his legs.

Being sitting on the floor made Viktor's left leg ache a bit, even when it was already healed. Viktor didn't quite understand why Yuuri's home village was so different from where they lived, nor wherefore the houses had sliding doors, or sat on the floor next to such a short table, but his boyfriend explained that was it because his ancestors were foreigners, and their descendant wanted to continue their traditions.

"Viktor, did you already meet Minako-senpai?" Asked Mari, who was the only one in the family who didn't seem very enthusiastic about his presence. Although, Viktor didn't perceive malice from her. Surely the girl was trying to make him nervous, or something like that. Phichit already warned him that it could happen; that someone from Yuuri's family might try to test him.

"Oh, yes! Minako is a great woman! When Yuuri introduced her to me, she made me have a hard time by her thousands of questions." He laughed. "It was scary. But I could tell that she cares about Yuuri and that I can count on her to take care of him when he's at work."

"Viktor and Minako-senpai are drunk friend." The dark-haired man added with a weary sigh, and that somehow made his sister laugh.

Yuuri still remembered the fateful day when Viktor accidentally confessed to Minako that he was a dragon. Luckily, both of them were so intoxicated with wine and beer that the woman took that as a joke and laughed until she fell asleep.

"Yes! Minako always tells me stories about when Yuuri was small." He said, and hugged his boyfriend again. "Oh, Yuuri. I would have loved to meet you at that time!" The scribe thought for a moment that his parents would be uncomfortable with so much displays of affection, but they seemed rather pleased.

"Vicchan," Hiroko said, and the name change didn't went unnoticed. "When can we meet your parents?"

"Mom. Viktor is an orphan..."

"Oh, Vicchan! I'm sorry to hear that..." The woman put her hands over her mouth, distressed.

"No, it's okay, Mom Hiroko. I'm sure my parents are happy at Paradise." He replied smiling. He didn't remember so much about his parent, but he knew that somehow he missed them.

"Paradise?" Toshiya repeated with a frown, but then smiled cordially. "I see. I'm glad that believe on Paradise is a comfort to you. Although we prefer to believe in Reincarnation."

"Reincarnation?" He inquired, and looked at Yuuri with a confused face.

"It refers to when a person who died comes back to life but is reborn in the body of another person," Yuuri explained with a raised finger, just as he did when he was giving reading lessons and Viktor knew he should pay special attention. "But, well..., it's just a theory, just like Paradise." he said with a shrug.

"But it's the theory our family likes to think is the right one." Hiroko said with a friendly smile.

"Sounds very interesting!" Said Viktor with admiration, surprised by such a concept. "Maybe after we die, Yuuri and I will meet again in another life." He kissed Yuuri on the cheek, then Yuuri blushed and smiled at him. "But for now, I would like to know your opinion about if I can receive the Katsuki surname when Yuuri and I get married. If it is that okay for you, Dad and Mom."

"Oh, that would be great, Vicchan!" Hiroko said smiling, and Toshiya nodded. "Of course. We will love having you in the family, and you bearing our surname will be an honor for us."

The meeting continued with Yuuri telling his family about his work as a scribe, and Viktor telling them about his duties at Mila's inn. Then the Nishigori family appeared.

"Yuuri, look! Three identical little humans!" Viktor exclaimed in surprise at Yuuko's daughters.

"Yes." Yuuri laughed. "Haven't you ever seen triplets?"

"I had seen twins, but not triplets!"

"Yuuri, is he your boyfriend?" Asked one of the girls.

"He is very handsome! Are you getting married soon?" Asked another.

"Will you adopt babies when you get married?" Asked the last one.

"Ah... we don't... eh ..."

"Have you ever talked about having your own family?" Toshiya asked, and Hiroko looked at them intently.

"Yeah, but Yuuri says we're still too young to take care of our own kids." Viktor replied with a shrug.

"Are you sure?" Yuuko asked with a worried face. "Yuuri-chan, you're twenty-four and Viktor twenty-seven. You should adopt kids as soon as possible. Having children in your life will make your relationship stronger."

"Yuuko, I appreciate your concern... But... Um ..." Yuuri wanted to reply that that wasn't none of her business, but he didn't want to sound rude. Yuuko was only a year older than him and she was already stuck with three daughters. Yuuri respected her decision to be such a young mother, but he knew he didn't need that in his life. He even didn't feel ready to have children, and Viktor wasn't very interested in that idea either.

"Thank you, but we're fine for now." Viktor said with a friendly smile. "We haven't married yet, so we are not in a hurry," He said a little reluctantly (they were already married!). And felt envy of the rings that adorned the Nishigori and the Katsuki's fingers. "Besides, I don't want to share my Yuuri with anyone else." Yuuri smiled at him, gratefully by the support.

"Yeah, that's fine with me," Mari said. "It's their lives. Let them alone."

"Oh, well ... Toshiya and I would love to have grandchildren as soon as possible, but it's okay if they want to go at their pace." Hiroko nodded sympathetically.

"Hey, Viktor, are you obsessed with dragons too?" Takeshi, Yuuko's husband asked mockingly, who evidently was trying to embarrass his friend. But Viktor surprised him with his reply.

"Of course! If anything we have more in common is our love for dragons." He replied, trying not to sound annoying. At the beginning of their relationship, he believed that Yuuri had begun to investigate about dragons because of having found him injured and that raised his curiosity, but some time later he learned that he had always been interested in them, that Yuuri didn't have many friends because other kids used to tease him because he was always reading novels and tales about dragons (and Takeshi was one of those kids).

"Wow. They are two of a kind..." Takeshi laughed and Yuuko elbowed him, then she spoke.

"In that case, you might be interested in hearing the bard's stories."

"A bard?" Yuuri repeated, feeling curious.

"Yes. For a couple of days a bard has been hanging around the village and telling legends about dragons." She said lively. From what Yuuri had told Viktor, Yuuko, besides Mari, was the only person with whom he could talk about his favorite subject without being intimidated.

"Yesterday he told us a legend about a human whom found a wounded dragon in a forest!" Said one of the triplets.

"And he healed him and saved him from dying!" Another said.

"If you really like dragons, you two should have a date tomorrow and listen to his stories! It will be very romantic!" Said the third one and the other two nodded.

"It's not a bad idea, is it, Yuuri?" Viktor inquired with a wink and Yuuri laughed. It was evident to both that the legend was referred to them, and the bard had to be the garnet dragon, one of the dragons who was caring Viktor while he was wounded.

The day continued without incident and dinner as well.

"Yuuri..." Viktor whispered in his ear when they were alone and in the futon, hugging him so tight that their bodies were rubbing against each other.

"Viktor, not here... The walls of my parents' house are even thinner than those of the Inn." He whispered, trying to push him, but the silver-haired man hugged him tighter.

"But, Yuuri," He whined, nuzzling his nose into his neck to smell his sweet scent. "We haven't mating for a long time, since the last time we visited our nest..."

"The word you are looking for is 'intimate'. Humans don't 'mate'. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that." He scolded him, but Viktor didn't care and put his hands over his pajamas. "Vi-Viktor!"

"Yuuri. Please. I need to be inside you... or maybe you prefer to be inside me this time." He murmured suggestively, first kissing his cheeks, then his chin and neck. The dark-haired man blushed.

"Uh... We shouldn't ... It's not right to do this sort of thing in a house that is not ours..."

"Well, this is your parents' house, and this is still your room, so..." Despite not wearing his spectacles, Yuuri could perceive Viktor's triumphant smile.

"You have a point... A-alright. But be silent, okay? And you will have to help me wash the sheets tomorrow." Viktor nodded and Yuuri kissed him on the lips.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The next morning, after receiving an accusing glance from his sister who soon turned into a mocking laugh at breakfast, and after he and Viktor helped his mother with the laundry, an embarrassed Yuuri took his boyfriend's hand and took him out of the house to show him his home village.

Yuuri led Viktor to see the fields, the vineyards of his family, and the places where he used to play as a child. And, of course, there were woman trying to flirt and catch Viktor's attention, but the white dragon always had his eyes only in his (future) husband.

"So... What do you think about my family?" He asked shyly as they walked near fruit trees, still holding hands.

"They're adorable, just like you," Viktor replied honestly. "And they smell just as good as you. But obviously your scent is the one I like the most."

"Oh, thank you." He laughed, feeling flattered. As he had been told before, the scent of an individual was the reflection of his personality. And Yuuri knew that Viktor loved to smell him.

"And, if they gave us their blessing, does that mean they liked me too, right?"

"Of course. I told you my parents would love you. And I think my mother loves you more. The fact that she asked you to help her to cook pork cutlet bowl tonight is a good sign of it."

"What about you, Yuuri?" The dragon asked, pausing their walk. And he released Yuuri's hand, but only to catch his waist and make their faces to be so close that their noses were brushed and their eyes looked directly at each other. "Do you love me?"

"I ..." Yuuri looked at him with his brown eyes wide open because of the daring movement. He could feel the intensity of blue eyes watched him without blinking, adding that there were a few locals walking close to them and he was sure that some of them turned to see them with curiosity. But if there was anything that made Yuuri overcome his shyness, even for a second, it was the fact that he could make Viktor happy. "You already know that. I love you..." He replied, and then quickly hid his face completely red in the neck of his boyfriend.

"Awww, Yuuri. You are so adorable! I love you too." Viktor beamed and kissed his hair. After a couple of minutes in that position, they separated, but not before sharing a peck in the lips.

A few hours later, as the sun went up in the middle of the sky, as they were walked through the village square, Viktor were marveled of the Asian structure of the buildings, where the ceilings of the homes were adorned with outstanding horns, and the windows of many of the houses were framed with flowers, and there were ponds full of all kind of fishes everywhere. Then he and Yuuri listened to the quiet chords of a lute.

The silver-haired man recognized the sound and pulled Yuuri by the hand to guide him to where the melody was coming from, and they found under the roof of a wooden kiosk a tanned boy with brown hair and friendly face who was playing the instrument. The bard was surrounded by a group of children sitting around him and listening attentively his story.

As the couple were also listened the story, Viktor wrapped Yuuri's waist from behind and rested his left cheek on his head, and the dark-haired man took his hands. Yuuri's cheeks reddened as the children shouted in surprise as they listened how 'the brave human and his dragon flew into the sunset' (Yuuri imagined that the bard just said that to accentuate the drama, and because he obviously couldn't tell to his receivers about transmutation).

The children clapped cheerfully when the story ended and began to disperse to return to play. The bard then turned to Viktor and Yuuri with a smile.

"Viktor! What a joy to see you again after all this time." The brown hair man take his beret off and bowed. Then he turned to Yuuri. "My name is Leo. I am a bard who likes to go from town to town to tell stories that are worth to be listen. And you, my friend, I could imagine that you are the protagonist of my story, right?" He said, and the scribe blushed more than he already was. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Yes! He's my Yuuri!" The silver-haired man said with pride, without having stopped hugging his mate.

"Y-yes. My name is Yuuri Katsuki. And it's also a pleasure for me to get to know you." Yuuri replied, bowing his head slightly and smiling. "Viktor told me that you and... others were taking care of him during the time he was injured. And that's why I'm very grateful with you."

"No, Yuuri. The ones who should be thanking you is us." Leo pulled his beret to his chest and bowed again. "You saved one of us with no intention of getting something in return." Then he put it back on his head. "Thanks to that, many of us feel a little more protected and do not fear so much to other people. You renewed their hope that there are more kind people in this world. Yuuri, you're a real celebrity in the Capital. I'm sure many of us will be happy to meet you."

"Se-seriously?" He asked, surprised. "Wow... And here I thought Chris was exaggerating things..."

"In a couple of days we will go to the Capital." Commented Viktor.

"Oh, in that case... Umm..." Leo's smile faded a little. "I think I should warn you on something..."

"Is something wrong?" Viktor asked, frowning.

"No, not exactly, but ..." Leo looked around. They were still in the middle of the village square and many people were nearby, so he lowered his voice. "Despite everything, there are still some dragons that don't really trust humans, for obvious reasons... So, Yuuri, don't feel bad if there are dragons whom wouldn't welcome you in a good way. But don't worry, unlike humans, we don't attack without provocation. No offense."

"It's ok. I get it. Thanks for telling us." Yuuri smiled faintly. Maybe he could be somewhat innocent, but he wasn't clueless. Since he learned of the existence of hidden dragons, he knew that there would be those who hated or were be afraid of humans. Viktor was one of them, though he was eventually feeling more comfortable among humans since his wounds healed; So for Yuuri it wasn't so much a revelation but rather a confirmation.

"If someone tries to hurt my Yuuri, they will have to pass over me first. And I don't care if it's a human or a dragon." Viktor said so suddenly and so fiercely that Yuuri could see his blue eyes, usually gentle, filled with fury and felt his body tremble with rage. Yuuri had never seen him act that way, and that immediately worried him. Even Leo recoiled a little.

"Viktor. We'll be fine." Yuuri cupped Viktor's cheeks and put their foreheads together, making his annoying gaze focus on his brown eyes to clear his mind of dark thoughts, though he wasn't sure if that would work. "I trust you will take care of me just as I care for you." He said, and kissed his nose, which made Viktor blush and calm enough to smile at him.

"Of course, Yuuri. I'll never let anyone to hurt you." Viktor then returned to his playful personality, rubbing his cheek against Yuuri's. Leo laughed at the sight.

"Good! Well, if you two act that lovey dovey all the time, I'm sure no one will dare to disturb you."

"Oh! In that case, I must be extra loving with my Yuuri so everyone knows they shouldn't mess with us." He hugged him harder and kissed his cheek several times in a row, making Yuuri tickle.

"Oh no. Please, don't encourage him." The black-haired man joked and they laughed.

"All right. It was a real pleasure to meet you. The fact of being able to see my protagonists so in love will allow me to tell their story with more passion," He said with a grin, and both Viktor and Yuuri blushed. "Unfortunately, I must leave now if I want to get to the next village before dawn." Leo bowed again and then began to walk. "Send my greetings to Yakov and the others on my behalf."

"I will! Goodbye!" Viktor said, and both waved goodbye to Leo.

"Yakov is the man who took care of you when you lived in the Capital, right?" Yuuri asked as they walked back to his parent's house.

"Yes. He and Lilia took care of orphans like me. But since Lilia died, now Yakov is the one who takes care of them and Georgi assists him. As Leo said, not many of us trust humans, but Yakov has the confidence of many dragon because he teaches them about human culture and gets them normal jobs. Chris and Mila also lived with him. And now Yurio is under his care."

"Oh. You worked as a tax collector for a while, didn't you? At least that's what Mila told me."

"Oh, yeah, that's true! I had completely forgotten about it." He said with a finger on his chin, trying to remember. "I remember I was so bored of that and I only did it for a few months, plus Yakov was always scolding me for doing things wrong." He laughed. "Then I decided that I preferred to live on my own and returned to my nest. And I'm glad I made that decision, otherwise I wouldn't have met you." Viktor stopped, took Yuuri's cheeks and kissed him on the lips, causing his boyfriend to earn the envious looks of several girls who were watched them intently (and whom obviously the silver-haired man had already noticed them).

"Viktor!" Yuuri exclaimed as they parted, his face completely red. It was really embarrassing for him when his boyfriend acting too daring in public. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"

"Of course!" He replied with his heart-shaped smile, and took Yuuri's hand to continue to walking. "I wasn't joking when I said I'd be more loving so everyone knows you're mine, you know?"

"Yes. I was afraid of that." Yuuri rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance, but a small smile betrayed his mouth.


	11. The Capital

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting Viktor's family!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who has continued reading my story so far. The Latin American version of this story was well received, but when I started translating it I didn't expect it to have the same impact. So I hope I can continue doing a decent job and you continue to love my story, because I love to writing it~
> 
> \---------------------  
> Edit: the fic now has a new cover! (drew by me!)  
> http://68.media.tumblr.com/dc300c927573056038c6f8f0575de587/tumblr_inline_ovoqs4IBqU1rdladc_500.jpg  
> You can also found the cover on the first chapter.

After spending a few days in Yuuri's home village and receiving the blessing of the Katsuki family for their wedding, human and his dragon headed to the Kingdom Capital, where they knew Yurio and other dragons were waiting for them.

The second time Yuuri rode Viktor's back (in his dragon form) he felt less nervous and could enjoy the trip. And like the previous time, they soaring through a pink sky and arrived the Capital in about two hours, when the morning sun was about to rise upon the mountains.

The view from the sky was spectacular. The couple could see the white Castle looming from the center of the Capital in all its splendor, with the still faint rays of the sun contrasting against the silhouettes of its towers and its shadow still covering part of the city.

When they landed, in a forest a mile from the city walls, Viktor licked Yuuri's face a few times before transmuting into his human aspect.

"Are you feeling alright, Yuuri?" He asked after wrapped him in his arms, and Yuuri hugged him back with a sigh of relief. "You look a little pale." He said while stroked one of his cheeks with affection.

"Yes, I'm fine." He smiled shyly. "I still don't like the heights very much. But I'm sure that over time I' will get used to it. So for now, my feet still prefer to touch the pleasant ground." When Viktor he heard him say that, he laughed.

"Yuuri. If there's anything I can do for you so you will not be so afraid of heights, don't hesitate to tell me." He kissed his forehead, then leaned his chin on Yuuri's shoulder in order to whisper in his ear. "You don't know how happy you make me to let me carry you on my back. It makes me feel good to know that I can be of use to my master."

"Viktor. I'm not your master. I'm your boyfriend." He said in a rather stern voice, though he knew the silver-haired man was joking.

"Husband." He replied with a playful smile.

"Husband." He rectified and chuckled. He didn't want to start 'another discussion'. "And thanks for thinking of me. If I can think of something, I will tell you." He took Viktor's chin and pressed their lips together in a kiss of gratitude for the flight, which caused his dragon to purr pleasingly.

They walked for twenty minutes on a dirt road, carrying their travel bags and some gifts that Yuuri's family (now Viktor's too) gave them, until they arrived at the entrance gates of the Capital, which were open wide and let in and out travelers without problems, since they were leading to the commercial and tourist area of the citadel.

However, the gates were guarded by soldiers who kept thieves away from the shops. Viktor, unconscious, tensed up and gripped Yuuri's waist tightly as the soldiers checked their bags in case they contained weapons.

"Viktor, are you feeling alright?" Yuuri asked worriedly after the guards let them in.

"Y-yes. I'm fine, Yuuri." The silver-haired man smiled with some difficulty, and interlaced one on his hands with Yuuri's, so they will not get lost in the crowd (and because they liked to hold hands). "I think I'm just a little excited. The last time I was here, was more than fifteen years ago. I don't know if I still remember the streets, but I think I can find the way to Yakov's orphanage if I follow my nose."

"Okay. I'll trust your nose." The dark-haired man replied with a small smile as he let himself to be guided by his boyfriend.

They wandered through the streets of gravel roads while Yuuri watched in amazement the structure of the Capital. The big city was very different from his home village and the town where he lived with Viktor. The houses and shops were huge, made of brick walls and wooden roofs, which was quite modern and striking. And they could see a cathedral of Gothic architecture was being built, with high windows, stained glass of many colors with religious motifs, and gargoyles in the front as sentinels.

Yuuri couldn't help but stop to look at every corner that caught his attention, including shops and the beauty of public spaces. Viktor then waited for him patiently and told him some curiosities that he remember about that places. When they felt hungry, they sat on a bench on a park. Viktor's tired leg was grateful for that. And they ate the lunch that Hiroko had prepared them for their trip.

After ate, the silver-haired man entered a jewelry store to admire and wear some jewels while Yuuri waited for Viktor's 'dragon side' to felt satisfied.

"How do I look, Yuuri?" He asked as he wore a gold necklace with precious stones and made a gesture of coquetry combing his hair.

"Well, the necklace is really nice."

"But what about me?" He pouted, feigning disappointment, and took off the necklace to leave it back in the display.

"Viktor, you know you're attractive." Yuuri replied, narrowing his eyes. Although he knew that his dragon was not really aware of it, since for him, all humans looked the same; He only distinguished them by their aroma. But Viktor chuckled.

"Well. I also think you're very attractive." He cupped Yuuri's cheeks and gave him a small kiss on the lips. Yuuri grinned and took his hand to continue their route.

As the hours passed by, the citadel was filled with passersby, to the point that on a couple of occasions Viktor and Yuuri were about to let go of their hands, which made Viktor to start to feel a little nervous again.

Since the white dragon was wounded by the knights, he began to feel an understandable fear towards humans. However, it was thanks to Yuuri's affection that his fear of them didn't increase at the point of hate them. And after knowing more of their customs, he realized that there were more humans as kind as his boyfriend and there was no point in resenting them because of what a few knights did to him. Still, there were times when his irrational side took hold of him and his fear returned, especially when there were so many humans around him and confused his senses. Especially when a nasty and familiar scent came to his nose.

One of the knights who attacked him was near to them.

Viktor stopped dead and looked on every possible direction, frantically searching for the human from which came such a disgusting smell of death so that he could take another path and get away him from Yuuri.

It wasn't the 'Captain,' that's was sure.

"Viktor, what is it?" Asked the dark-haired man, worriedly, as the silver-haired man began to walk again hastily, pulling his arm tightly. Yuuri struggled to keep up with him and nearly fell over several times, not to mention that he stumbled into some people and he could only shout apologies. However, Viktor didn't appear to be aware of the commotion.

And it wasn't until his dragon paused for a moment to consider which next street to take that Yuuri was finally able to take Viktor from the shoulders and face him.

As soon as their gazes crossed, Yuuri felt his heart break when he saw Viktor's blue eyes moistened, his eyebrows twitching in an attempt not to burst into tears as his body trembled with fear.

"Viktor...?"

"Yuuri. I... I-I'm sorry. One of them was here... I ... I couldn't see him. I... I cannot... distinguish the smells. There are too many humans. I can't smell you." Tears streamed down his cheeks, and Yuuri, trying not to panic himself too, took Viktor away from the crowd until they reached the safety of an alley that seemed abandoned.

Yuuri immediately wrapped his arms around Viktor, placing one hand on his back and the other over his silver hair. The dragon hugged his human tightly, nuzzled his nose into his neck to wrap himself in his scent, and allowed himself to sob in a low voice; He had no problem doing so if it was Yuuri who listened to him.

"Everything is fine, Viktor. I'm here with you." He whispered into his ear before kissing his cheek. It wasn't the first time he had to deal with Viktor's panic attacks. And although it hurt his heart to see it that way, it didn't bother him to comfort him at all. "No one is going to hurt you. I will never allow it."

"I-I'm so sorry, Yuuri... I ... I'm so weak."

"No, Viktor, you're not weak. Crying doesn't make you weak," Yuuri assured him as he made his head back a little so their eyes met. "Cry all you need. You'll feel better."

"B-but, Yuuri... I'm a white dragon," He murmured, his nose congested. "I should be ... better than this ... I should be able to protect you."

"Viktor... I feel protected when I'm with you." He removed his hand from his silvery strands but to take it on Viktor's face and wipe his tears with the sleeves of his robe. "You are a mighty white dragon. But that doesn't mean you should fight. I don't want anyone to get hurt. That's why I also do my best to protect your identity. And even though we knew this could happen, you still wanted to come so we could have a well-deserved rest together. You are very brave to face your fears, and I am very proud to call you my husband."

"...Yuuri, what did I do to deserve you?" He inquired as a small smile appeared on his lips and cupped Yuuri's cheeks to gather their noses together and brush them, still looking at each other. "I need to marry you as a human right now. You are so perfect..."

"Viktor, what are you saying?" Yuuri laughed, his face painted lightly red. "I also have fears and failures. And I always wondering how someone as wonderful as you want to be with someone as boring as me... "

"Yuuri! Don't say those things!" He said with a hurt look. "You are a great man, and you are so kind and intelligent. I love spending my time with you. I love you just the way you are."

"I love you just the way you are, too." He replied with a triumphant smile. Viktor blushed and beamed.

Human and dragon joined their lips in a calm and pleasant kiss, simply enjoying each other's company. Kiss, which was intended to be longer, however, Viktor and Yuuri split up as they heard a whining from somewhere in the alley. For a moment they feared being heard by someone, but they breathed a sigh of relief as they looked down at their feet and saw a puppy who was smelling their legs with curiosity.

The silver-haired man lifted the dog and they looked at each other with curiously.

"It's a baby poodle!" Exclaimed Viktor proudly after recognizing the breed. He remembered, from the time that he lived in the Capital, that rich people used to have dogs of that breed as pets. And the only reason he remembered it was because dogs were his favorite kind of pet. "Yuuri ... I think this little boy is hungry." He said with concern.

"Oh. It looks like he was... abandoned." He remarked, since the puppy was quite thin and shaky, but still he managed to wag his tail with joy. "I'll get him something to eat." He took his travel bag from his back and set it on the floor to find some dried meat and his gourd canteen to feed the puppy, which devoured the meat in seconds and drank the water enthusiastically from Yuuri's hands.

Feeling already satiated, the puppy barked gratefully and then snuggled into Viktor's arms.

"I think he likes us." Viktor said while stroking the puppy tenderly. "And he smells really good. I think he also likes our scent. Just look at how he smelled us." He smiled, and the puppy licked his face.

Yuuri looked at Viktor, who seemed to have recovered from his panic attack and gave to the puppy his heart-shaped smile. This immediately made Yuuri realize what his boyfriend was about to suggest. And although he thought it was not at all a good idea to adopt a stray puppy, which was covered in mud and didn't smell exactly good, he knew that, if his dragon liked his natural scent, it was because the puppy would have a compatible personality with them, so he took it as a good sign.

"Yuuri... can we keep him?" Viktor looked at him with plea and put on his best puppy face, and, as if he understood what they were talking about, the poodle did the same, adding whines to add more affect.

The scribe looked at his boyfriend and then at the puppy, and they looked back at him expectantly, then gave a sigh of resignation, but he smiled. After all, he liked dogs, too.

"Have you thought of a name?" He said as a response, and Viktor's eyes lit up.

"Thank you, Yuuri!" He hugged his mate, with the puppy between them, and kissed him several times on the lips. The puppy took advantage of this and licked their faces.

"I just hope Mila doesn't mind having the puppy in the Inn." Yuuri commented playfully as he parted.

"Oh, she won't be bother by that." Viktor assured him with a smile. And then entangled his hand with Yuuri's again, carrying the puppy on his other arm. "You know? I feel better. I can already distinguish the smells better. But for now I cannot think of any name for this little boy..."

"It's okay. We can think of something later. But Viktor..." He looked at him earnestly, and the silver-haired man couldn't help but felt like a scolded dog. "If you smell them again..." He said, referring the knights who attacked him. "Don't hesitate to tell me, okay? We will figure out what to do together." He ended saying with a kind smile to let him know that he wasn't admonishing him. Viktor, relieved, nodded and smiled back at him.

After several minutes, and without further incident, they arrived at a big house, perhaps three stories high, which was filled with children playing and scampering around the place. For the simple clothes they wore, but clean and without embroidered patches, and their different ages, both Viktor and Yuuri could realize that these children belonged to the orphanage.

"Uh. I had no idea that Yakov is now adopted human children." Viktor commented in surprise. Then several children turned to see them, more specifically at the puppy that was held in his arms, and they ran to him.

Yuuri feared that Viktor would feel uncomfortable surrounded by so many children, but he smiled at them and answered their questions about the poodle. He even allowed them to carry the puppy.

"And what is his name?" One of the children asked. And the silver-haired man thought for several seconds, with a finger on his chin, before answering.

"Makkachin!"

"Makkachin?" Yuuri repeated in surprise. He had never heard or read that word before, which was a lot to say because it was his job to read about two or three books a day while transcribing them. "And what does his name mean?"

"I have no idea. But his face is telling me that his name is Makkachin." Viktor replied with a big smile, and the dog barked as if confirming it. Yuuri could do nothing but shake his head and laugh. He knew there was no point in trying to argue with his dragon when he got some weird ideas into his head.

"Viktor!" A black-haired man approached them, who wore nice clothes; a tunic embroidered with silver thread and trousers of the same color as his hair, and on his face he wore violet makeup on his eyelids and lips. "Hey! I like what you did with your hair." He said, raising a thumb of approval.

"Oh! Hello, Georgi." Viktor waved a hand. Then he took his boyfriend by the waist and leaned a cheek over his head. "And thanks. Cutting my hair was my Yuuri's idea."

"I see. So you are Viktor's 'Yuri'. It's a real pleasure to finally meet you." The violet dragon reached out a hand to Yuuri, who gladly accepted it with a smile after recognized the man as one of the dragons who were taken care of his boyfriend while he was injured. But he tensed a little when Georgi kissed his hand.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I just came from the theater and forgot that I haven't cleared my face." He said while looking in his pockets for a handkerchief to wipe the labial that he painted on Yuuri's knuckles. "Sorry for having stained your beautiful skin." He added with an exaggerated genuflection, as an artist thanking his audience, after cleaning his hand.

"No-no. No problem!" Yuuri quickly removed his hand and then waved both, hoping his dragon wasn't bother with the other dragon because of his jealousy. However, Viktor was still smiling, so the scribe realized that perhaps Georgi's gallantry act should be part of his personality and that Viktor was already accustomed to it. "Aham... I ... I want to thank you for taking care of Viktor when he..." He didn't have to finish the sentence for Georgi to understand what he meant.

"There's nothing you need to thank me for. I'm glad I was able to help a friend." The actor said trying to sound modest, although it was obvious that he enjoyed the attention. "Kids, go back to playing. Adults need to talk." He ordered to the children, who complained with a sigh, but they followed his order, and returned Makkachin to Viktor.

"Georgi, since when does Yakov adopt human children?" Yuuri wasn't sure why, but the silver-haired man sounded rather sad about that fact. Georgi sighed and took a few seconds to reply.

"Come on. Let's talk about this inside." The violet dragon led the way to the front doors of the big house until they reached the common room. "Are you hungry? Luch time is in a couple of hours, but I know you must have had a tiring trip. I can ask the cook to prepare something for you two."

"Thank you, but we're fine." Viktor replied before pulling Yuuri to sit together in the couch, letting Makkachin lie down on their legs. The violet dragon nodded, then went on to answer the question.

"It is difficult to maintain a dragon orphanage when we only have three under our care. Most of them already flew out of the nest and decided to start their own lives." He said in metaphor, implying that these dragons already felt confident walking around humans. "So we had to adopt human children in order of not to raise suspicion on the society's eyes. Besides... it's not as if there were more young dragons to adopt..." Both Georgi and Viktor looked down, and Yuuri could read between lines what was happening.

Dragons were becoming extinct. A lot of them were hunted for their scales and few others were still used as slaves for forced labor or as pets for rich people. Therefore, many dragons preferred to live in the open, away from human societies. Not to mention the fact that many female dragons were refusing to produce offspring because of this. At least that is what Mila and Sara once told him.

"It doesn't make me want to have cubs knowing that they will be hunted or that they will live their whole life fearing of humans." Sara said, not sounding really upset, it was more like she was already resigned.

"Same thing," Mila said as she and Sara were taking off clean clothes from a clotheslines. Yuuri was helped them by holding the basket. "I've talked to other girls and they think just like us. Although some of them decided to have only one offspring because their partners really wanted to have children. And others has the fortune of having a human as their partners, so they have nothing to worry about that issue, since humans and dragons cannot have babies between them."

Yuuri remembered feeling a terrible affliction when he heard them said that. But he could understand their logic. Even that could explain why Viktor's parents hadn't wanted to have children in the first place, but they still rejoiced by his accidental birth.

"Oh, speaking of dragons, here are two of them..." Georgi said, pointing out to two boys peeping timidly from the lobby, and both of them startled as they were discovered. "They are Guang Hong, an orange dragon, and Kenjirou, a red dragon. Guys, he's Viktor, a white dragon, and his human mate, Yuuri."

The boys then entered the room and bowed. They both looked quite nervous.

"It's a...a pleasure to meet you. My name is Guang Hong..." Said the one with brown hair and eyes of the same color, whose face was adorned with barely visible freckles and his cheeks seemed to be permanently blushing, and bowed his torso forward. By the way he was dressed and his cap, it could be deduced that he had to work in a bakery.

"I... I am Kenjirou!" Exclaimed the blond guy with a strange red-painted tuft, making an exaggerated bow by tilting his torso. His tunic was similar to that one the children were wearing, but his was covered with paint stains of many colors. He definitely had to be an artist.

"My name is Yuuri Katsuki. And the pleasure is mine." He said as he rose up from the couch and made a bow. And realizing that the dragons had Asian names just like him, so they were probably influenced by the same cultures. Then Viktor did the same.

"I'm Viktor, but soon I'll be Viktor Katsuki!" He introduced himself with his big heart-shaped smile, and Yuuri had to put his hands over his face so as not to die of embarrassment (though he couldn't say he didn't felt flattered because of his dragon presuming their engagement). "And this little boy is Makkachin." The puppy barked.

Yuuri wasn't sure if Guang Hong's and Kenjirou's nervousness were part of their personality, or if it was because of the fact that there were an unknown human inside their home and that frightened them. But there were also the possibility that they were nervous about Viktor, since dragons tend to respect their hierarchies, being the white dragons on the top of this. However, he soon realized the real reason when Kenjirou ran up to him, with his eyes which looked like stars and looking directly at him.

"You are that human! The one who saved one of us! "Exclaimed the blond in affirmation, and he seemed about to cry as he smiled. "I am a great admirer of you!"

"And... me too." Added the other dragon, alternating his gaze between Yuuri and floor.

"Ad-admirers of mine?" Yuuri repeated in disbelief, until he remembered that Chris had already warned him that he was a celebrity among the dragons of the Capital for saving Viktor.

"Are you going to stay in the Capital for a long time? Could you give me your autograph? What is your favorite color? Would you want to be my muse? Would you allow me to make a portrait of you? Or perhaps you prefer that I make you a marble statue to represent you in all your splendor?" Asked the red dragon with euphoria, not even giving a chance to the poor and confused Yuuri to answer.

"We are sorry. It's been a long trip and we would like to rest in these moment." Viktor said with a slightly forced smile, hugging his boyfriend's waist tightly. Yuuri was proud that the silver-haired man wasn't blinded by jealousy and didn't try to intimidate the younger dragon.

"Kenjirou, don't overwhelm them." Georgi admonished him, though he covered his mouth so he wouldn't laugh after noticing Viktor's jealousy. The red dragon was visibly discouraged by the scolding. "Please excuse him. Kenjirou is a very explosive and enthusiastic boy. Guang Hong is more shy and quiet. And Yura, well... you already know him."

"Oh. Where is Yuri?" Asked the scribe to turn their attention away from him.

"He must be on his job."

"What about Yakov?" Viktor asked now.

"Maybe he's in his office. I'll go and tell him that you are here." Georgi left the room, and then the orange dragon approached them with another bow.

"Leo and Phichit told us your story. And... I think it's great that you helped a dragon and then you became his mate. That's... quite romantic." Guang Hong dared to say, and both his face and Yuuri's ended up blushing completely.

"Uhm... I ... I just did what I thought was right thing to do at the time." He replied, feeling more and more nervous about the looks of admiration from the blond boy and the brown-haired boy. Yuuri wasn't very good dealing with that kind of attention (with Viktor he was already accustomed).

"Yuuri. I love that you're so modest." Viktor whispered in his ear, but loud enough for the other two dragons to hear. Then he kissed him on the cheek, but too close to the corner of his mouth. And then he could hear in amusement as Kenjirou and Guang Hong tried not to a let go a squeak at such a suggestive scene.

"Well... Makkachin says that he is very grateful that you fed him and adopted him..." Said Guang Hong, which Yuuri remembered that orange dragons could talk to animals. "And he says that he will do everything to stay by your side and protect both of you ... He also says that he really likes the name Viktor chose for him." He smiled.

"Awww, Makkachin, I knew you would like it! You are such a good boy!" Viktor exclaimed cheerfully and Makkachin excitedly barked.

"Viktor!" They heard a mighty cry coming from somewhere in the house, and soon heavy steps began to move towards them. In a slightly unconscious way, Yuuri hugged Viktor without being able to avoid to trembling a little, and his dragon had no problem in hugging him back. Then they saw an old man, perhaps seventy years old, but still very lively, entering the room and pointing out to the white dragon in an accusatory manner. "So you decided to come back, huh."

"Yakov!" Exclaimed Viktor cheerfully. He separated from Yuuri and leave the poodle in his arms so he ran to hug the older man. "How much time has passed? You have hardly changed anything. But where did your hair go?" He inquired curiously.

"I could ask you the same!" Yakov yelled back, with his face red with anger, evidently annoyed by such an observation. "What the hell happened to your hair? But, well ... I must say I'm glad you finally cut it. At least you won't have any more fleas." That made Yuuri laugh, which made him less afraid of the older man.

"W-what?!" Viktor stepped back, blushing and embarrassed. "I've never had fleas! We-ell, maybe once, but... it was a long time ago! You do believe me, don't you, Yuuri?" He asked looking at his boyfriend with watery eyes, and Yuuri used Makkachin's fur to hide his smile.

"I believe you, Viktor. And don't worry. I also had fleas as a child." Yuuri then felt Yakov's critical eye on him, and hugged Makkachin harder.

Yuuri knew Yakov was a second paternal figure to Viktor, so he wanted to make a good impression on him, because soon they would be part of the same family. And although Viktor had already warned him that Yakov's personality made him look intimidating (while inside he was all sweet), the scribe couldn't help but worry.

"So... you're Yuuri Katsuki, Viktor's mate, right?"

"Y-yes, sir!" He replied as he bowed, afraid to look into his eyes. "It's ... it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Feltsman. Viktor has always spoken very highly of you." Yuuri wasn't sure what he did well, but he could see Yakov nodding.

"You surprise me, Viktor. You got a very educated man as a mate. I approve it."


	12. The past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More about Yakov and the other dragons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder that the fic has a new cover, drew by me ;D  
> http://68.media.tumblr.com/dc300c927573056038c6f8f0575de587/tumblr_inline_ovoqs4IBqU1rdladc_500.jpg

"Do you approve me?" Yuuri repeated, looking at the older man in disbelief. "Just like that?" He said before he could close his mouth.

"Of course." Yakov nodded slowly. "Yura has told me a lot about you, Katsuki. He says you can stand Viktor and that you take good care of him." The man turned to the silver-haired man, staring at him from head to foot, as if he were a misunderstood work of art. "And from what I see, he's well fed and trained. You're doing a good job, boy."

"Yakov, you're talking about me, not Makkachin!" Viktor complained, pointing out to the poodle. He felt as if he should be offended by the comment, though he wasn't because he was happy that his mentor approved his boyfriend/husband.

"Is that your dog?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, we just adopted him." Yuuri rushed to say when Yakov covered his nose, since the puppy still smelled like dirt and garbage.

"And whose idea was it?"

"Mine!" Replied Viktor, smiling.

"Then you go and bathe him. I don't want the children to get sick by the dirt of your dog," He ordered. "Do you remember where the bathroom is?" Viktor almost refused, until he remembered that, angering Yakov, wasn't something pleasant to watch, so he just simply shook his head at the question. "Kenjirou, show Viktor where to go."

"Yes, sir!" Replied the red dragon with a military salute, one hand on his forehead, but still turning his gaze full with stars at the younger human.

"Guang Hong, go to the kitchen and prepare some snacks." The brown-haired boy nodded and left the room to head to the kitchen. "Georgi, take their travel bags to Viktor's room."

"As you say." Replied the violet dragon with a graceful genuflection and took the bags from the floor.

"And Katsuki, you come with me to my office. We have things to talk."

Yuuri couldn't help but swallow and think of thousand reasons why the older man wanted to talk privately to him, without Viktor being present. And that would have made him really nervous, except that, when his boyfriend came to pick up the puppy in his arms, he smiled at him and kissed his forehead.

"Don't worry, Yuuri. Just the mere fact that you don't act like me, Yakov already likes you." He commented in a low voice, and they both laughed, making Yuuri felt calmer.

As soon as the room was empty of dragons, Yakov signaled to Yuuri to follow him to his office. The dark-haired man, feeling encourage, went behind him to let himself being guided through the hallways. Yuuri then focused on the interior of the orphanage. The wallpaper and carpets were of average quality, which he could understand that because they were probably simpler to replace if the children ruined them while playing, but they still had colorful and friendly patterns. He could also see that there were coffers with wooden toys and rag dolls in some corners of the house, and on some walls there were hanging drawings with smiley faces. Even some children passed near them, running and waving at them cheerfully.

The atmosphere in the orphanage was quite warm. And Yuuri recalled all the times when Chris, Mila and Viktor referred to Yakov with affection. And by the time they reached a room, which was full of bookshelves and a painting of a woman over the fireplace; Yuuri was no longer nervous. The older man then motioned for him to sit in one of the two armchairs that were separated by a small table.

"I'm glad to know that Viktor has finally found his mate," The man said after a long sigh that seemed of relieved after falling into the armchair, and his features softening to the point that he no longer looked so severe. "Viktor has always been a fairly social dragon, but it was obvious that he was never interested in knowing in depth other dragons or humans. He never talked about what worried him. He preferred to hide his loneliness behind that silly smile of him and pretend that everything was fine... But, I know that he was worried that, at his age, he hadn't yet found a mate whom he would share his life, someone who was compatible with him. So when he returned to his nest, I was afraid he would have given up." Yakov gave another sigh, and Yuuri could do nothing more than blink in surprise at such a revelation. It had never occurred to him that Viktor had ever been depressed, because of his radiant personality. "But now I see that was for the best. If Viktor had stayed here, surely he would never have met with you. I've never seen him so happy."

"Oh ..." Yuuri didn't know what to say. He was still astonished that the dragon-keeper had accepted him so quickly, and still told him about Viktor's past.

"But what about you, boy?" He asked, glaring at Yuuri. The human with chocolate eyes felt his shoulders tense and his breath cut. "Are you happy with Viktor?"

"Of course." He answered without even thinking. Even the question seemed offensive. But he realized that Yakov had asked him only to test him when he saw the man nodding.

"All right. I just wanted to be sure. You must have realized that a relationship between a human and a dragon is much more difficult due to cultural differences. It is a real headache to have to explain to dragons how humans are more fragile than them, and how social labels work. Especially a dragon as 'special' as Viktor, who always forgets everything."

Yuuri hated to admit it, but sometimes Viktor could get him mad, but not in a bad way. The silver-haired man was rather clueless and forgetful, and sometimes had to be reminded how to behave in front of other humans. But Yuuri was a patient person, and he really didn't mind the faults his boyfriend might have. But sometimes, is was Yuuri the one who forgot about the possessive nature of dragons, which sometimes caused him to scold Viktor because of his jealousy (although always ended up apologizing and Viktor assured him that there was no problem). After all, Yuuri loved Viktor so much and couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone else.

"Knowing my dragons and Viktor..." Yakov continued. "I'm sure no one has explained to you the meaning of many of their customs or how their relationships work until it's too late."

"Um... well ..." Yuuri wanted to say the otherwise, but... he just couldn't lie.

There were times that certain behaviors of Viktor and the other dragons seemed very strange to him, and it was almost always Mila and Phichit who remembered to explain to him what was happening. Like the time Viktor slept for two full days during winter and Yuuri was very worried, thinking Viktor was sick. Mila would then explain to him that wild dragons used to hibernate, and since Viktor hadn't yet grown accustomed to living as a human, it was certain that his body was still needed more time to adjust to the new surroundings. On the third day, when Viktor finally woke up, they argued for a couple of hours over which of the two of them missed more the other. Somehow, the silver-haired man ended up winning that fight despite having been unconscious.

Or as on another occasion, a few days after having had sex for the first time. Yuuri dared to ask Viktor with how many humans or dragons he had been before him, since Viktor seemed to know what he was doing and that made the dark-haired man couldn't help but comparing himself with his former lovers...

However, he didn't expect the silver eyelashes to open with horror at the question and Viktor run out of the room crying to hide in Chris' room. After hearing the commotion and the human apology for 'whatever he said,' Phichit hastened to explain to Yuuri that dragons only had a one lifelong partner, human or dragon; and that they used to wait all the time that was necessary to only mate with their partner (although there were some exceptions, like Chris). While on the other side of the door, it was the same green dragon who tried to explain to the white dragon that his partner hadn't tried to accuse him of promiscuity.

"Yuuri ..." He remembered the regretful and broken voice of Viktor's crying, who was staring at the floor as they entwisted their hands after they returned to their room after clearing up the misunderstanding. "I-I'm so sorry... Sara warned me that you humans have many partners, and... And it's okay if you've been with someone before me... But I couldn't bear the thought of you thinking that I..."

"N-no! Viktor. I'm sorry. I didn't know..." Yuuri hadn't the slightest idea that virginity was such an important issue for dragons. Of course for some humans it was also, but for dragons it seemed to be almost a divine law. "I'm very sorry if I have offended you. It wasn't my intention." Viktor finally looked at him, and smiled faintly before wrapping his hips in his arms and bringing his lips together. "And, umm ... I... actually ... I never been with anyone before you. Y-you're the first." He admitted with some embarrassment. Being a virgin in his twenties was a mockery among humans. Still, it was worth the confession, since Viktor's blue eyes lit up and kissed him a few more times.

"Oh, Yuuri! I'm so glad I waited nearly two hundred years to finally found you." He murmured in intervals as he continued to kiss Yuuri on his lips and his neck. That night they had sex for the second time.

"Do you know about the meaning of their scales?" Yakov's voice took him out of his memories, startling him a little. "Or how jealous a dragons can become when they are very attached to their partner?" Yuuri nodded to both. "Have you two already had sex?" The dark-haired man nodded again, with his face red with embarrassment.

Yuuri wouldn't normally answer such personal questions, but he felt he could trust the man who cared for Viktor for so many years. And to his surprise, Yakov also seemed surprised.

"Mmh. Viktor really trusts you, then. You two haven't been together for a year and you already had sex. Even to Lilia and me took a long time to reach that level of trust." As he spoke, his eyes wandered around the room until he saw the woman in the picture.

Ah. That must be Lilia, the golden dragon who adopted Viktor and many others. As far as Yuuri knew about of her, the orphanage was hers before she died, so her human partner decided to continue her legacy. Yuuri really admired Yakov for that. Since he wouldn't know what he would do with his life if he ever lost Viktor...

"Uh, what does the level of trust have to do with sex?" He asked with a bit of embarrassment, though he already could imagined the answer. If virginity was really so important to dragons, it was obvious that they wouldn't give it away so easily. Yakov seemed to consider his question.

"Mmh... I guess, because of your experience with Viktor, I mean, you saving his life; that made you gain the trusts of many dragons and maybe that's why you've never had any bad experience with them. Even Guang Hong and Kenjirou idolize you and they didn't even knew you in person. Even Yura likes you, and golden dragons are really hard to please."

"Umm... Yes. A dragon named Leo warned me that there might be dragons that will not like me."

"Yes, I know him. Leo is Guang Hong's mate." At that, Yuuri looked at him in surprise. If they were mates, why they weren't together? The same garnet dragon had told him that he traveled from town to town to tell stories, while the orange dragon seemed to live in the orphanage with the children. "Responding to your question... Dragons are really friendly and cordial creatures, but that doesn't mean that you can gain their trust so lightly. If a dragon doesn't' like you, they will only ignore you. They usually don't attack, but they will if you hurt someone of their clan."

As Yakov spoke, Yuuri nodded, watching him intently, trying to absorb as much information as he could.

"About how their relationship works with their partners..." Continued the older man. "When they find the dragon or the human that they like by their scent, they don't waste time and immediately declare their intentions." Yuuri almost laughed, remembering the day Viktor transmuted and immediately kissed him, leaving him puzzled and confused. "If both sides agree, then 'they will form a bond between them' that will last a lifetime. It's their metaphorical way of saying that they got married. You could say that the fact of exchanging or give away their scales is the equivalent of the engagement ring for us." The dark-haired man then blushed after hearing that last, as Yakov confirmed that he and Viktor could already be considered husbands.

"But..." Yuuri said, confused by something. "I know a couple, a human and a dragon, who didn't get together until a year after their meeting..."

"Oh. You must be talking about Michele and Emil." Yuuri nodded. "I have heard of them from Yura and Mila. I don't know the details, but it seems that the parents of the twin dragons were killed by humans a few years ago. So it is possible that Michele was confused because his partner was a human and it took him some time to assimilate it."

Oh. Yuuri felt his heart contract with pain and sorrow. He knew that Michele and Sara's parents weren't alive either, but he never wanted to bother them with his questions about it. Although that explained why Michele was so distant with his human even though it was obvious that they loved each other. Did Emil know about that? Ah, he was always son patient with the purple dragon, so he surely know.

Yuuri then finally realized that, for dragons, it must be really hard to trust humans after everything that happened in the past. However, as Yakov said, it hadn't been difficult for him to be part of their world because he saved one, so it never occurred to him to think that, for other humans, it wasn't that simple.

"You and Viktor are a very special case," Said Yakov, as if he had read his mind. "Dragons don't usually trust blindly or be so affectionate with their mates until they spend many years of relationship, until they fully trust in them. They live more than two hundred years, so they prefer to use that time to study or fly around the world until they feel satisfied. So when they reach one hundred and fifty years old or older, then they put their nests together and live together. That is why is especially hard for a human and dragon relationship to work. Since dragons prefer to travel around the world in solitude or with their clan, we humans are more sedentary and we need to have our partner at our side all the time and constantly."

"That... makes sense," Yuuri murmured, seeing from that perspective the relationship between Phichit and his dragon mate (Seung-gil was his name?), since they lived in separate villages and met a few times a month. When Yuuri asked him if he didn't miss him, Phichit just answered 'no' with a smile and saying that they would have a plenty of time to be together later. Or the relationship of Yurio and Otabek, who only met one or two times a week. Yuuri couldn't understand how that worked for them, because he and Viktor hadn't been separated even once since they met.

"Did you two have thinking about the future? Yura told me that Viktor is working in Mila's inn and that you are a Scribe."

"Ah, yes. Well... We have some plans, like getting our own house in addition to the nest, although Mila assured us that she likes to have us in the Inn, so Viktor wants us to get married first and then worry about the rest." He laughed. There wasn't a single day that his dragon didn't mention their future marriage since they agreed to marry 'as human'.

"Marriage?" Repeated Yakov, thoughtfully. "Does Viktor really want to marry you as a human even if you two are already married as a dragon?"

"Y-yes." He blushed. Knowing that someone confirmed that theory made his heart leap for joy. "It's just that Viktor really likes the idea of wearing rings and having my last name." He continued with a giggle and Yakov sighed.

"You know what, boy? It's frustrating for me to see that you managed to get Viktor interested in us humans and ours customs in such a short time, being that I never succeeded." He said with a frown and folded his arms, but the dark-haired man could see that he said it with appreciation.

"Yes, but ..." Yuuri put a hand over his chest, a little hesitating to speak, but he thought Yakov might be the right person to talk about what worried him. "Viktor still fears other humans ... And I ... I don't know what do to help him." It wasn't until he felt something hot trickling down his neck that Yuuri realized he was crying. He felt heaviness in his chest, and he had to cover his mouth to keep from sobbing.

Yakov got up from the armchair and walked to Yuuri to lay a hand on his shoulder. The scribe looked up and saw that the older man's eyes were empathic.

"Katsuki, this that I'm going to tell you... please don't tell it the other dragons." Yuuri, sensing the change in the atmosphere, nodded slowly. And now they both turned to look at Lilia's picture, which depicted a human woman, of perhaps thirty, but her features looked hard and tired even though she was smiling. "The day Lilia and I met it was over fifty years ago..."

"At that time, I was a rookie soldier of twenty year old. My only goal in life was to serve the community and the King. I had lost my direct family because of the Black Death, so I had no other concerns than earning my daily bread. However, one night, during a chase to a group of thieves, one of them was riding a golden dragon with broken wings. Never in my life had I seen a dragon running free. I always saw them as pets of rich people and behind bars of steel. So I was very impressed with what I saw. But we needed to catch the thief, because he stolen precious jewels. My fellow soldiers somehow managed to stop the dragon despite its speed, and made it fall to the ground, so we could catch both of them."

"A golden dragon ... with broken wings," Yuuri murmured, his brown eyes wide with horror, still looking at the painting. "That was…?"

"Yes... The thief had broken her wings so she wouldn't escape from him flying. What the idiot didn't know was that damaging her wings would affect her speed because the lack of balance." Yakov had answered with a stoic face, but his lips trembled a little. "When we managed to chain the dragon, I could hear my comrades say how they would cut off her head and tear off the scales and then sell them... I felt so disgusted by that. So, that night, after making sure that my companions were asleep after a feasting with wine, I untied the chains and let her escape. In the morning I pretended to have a hangover and not remember anything from the night before, so they never knew who let her escaped. Although we were all punished with three months of our salary. But for me it was worth it. A month later, during one of my patrols, a woman dressed in fine cloths approached me."

"She said her name was Lilia, and that she needed the help of a 'strong soldier' to help her walk, because she had back pains. I was stunned by her beauty, so I thought it was my lucky day." He and Yuuri laughed. "So I agreed immediately and took her arm to let her lean on me. At first she was a bit tense, and I could see her eyes reflected a bit of fear. But I didn't want to bother her with questions, so we had a superficial talk until we got here, to the orphanage. That same day I met Viktor and Mila, who immediately came to talk to me with big smiles on their faces... Lilia then confessed to me that she was the dragon I let escape, and that she hoped that I would accept her as my mate. It took me by surprise, but I didn't hesitate to say yes after she showed me her scales. However... Our relationship was a little stormy. Lilia trusted me but to a certain extent. She barely let me approach her or to the other dragons. And it wasn't until several months later, after an argument we had, that she finally gave me her reasons. It wasn't only that she was captured by humans while she was trying to protect younger dragons, but ... when she was younger, she saw how her parents were killed by knights in front of her. She saw how they cut off their heads and she... couldn't stand it and, in a fit of rage, she killed those humans."

Someone knocked on the door, startling both of them a little, then Yakov gave his permission to enter. Guang Hong came in while pushing a cart of desserts, but he stopped when he saw the red eyes of both humans.

"Is-is something wrong?" The orange dragon asked shyly. And Yakov made a gesture with his hand as he returned to sit down in his chair.

"We are just talking," He replied as Guang Hong served the desserts on the small table and then poured tea in two cups. "You can retire." The brown-haired boy nodded, but before he left, he turned to the dark-haired man.

"Yuuri. If you need anything don't hesitate to tell me." He commented with his flushed cheeks and a small smile.

"Thank you. I'll do it." Yuuri smiled back at him and saw the dragon come out of the room. Then the older man continued.

"She always regretted it, but she knew they would kill her too if she didn't kill them first. Dragons don't kill humans. Those are just myths that the Militia scatters as an excuse for took theirs scales. The most a dragon can do against you is to leave you wounded ... Since then, I tried to be more understanding with her. But because I didn't know her customs as a dragon, and she didn't know mine as humans, we had many misunderstandings and arguments for months, until we finally learned from each other and our relationship improved. We had a wonderful 30 years together." He sipped his tea, letting Yuuri to process the story. "It's okay if you tell Viktor about her past, but don't tell the other dragons. Lilia never wanted 'her children' to know about the killing of her parents by humans, or what she was forced to do to survive. She didn't want to condition them to hate humans. She knew there were good humans in spite of everything, and she had a blind faith in which humans and dragons could one day live in peace together... But for now, the only advice I can give you is to be patient with Viktor. He's already trusting you, so it will only be a matter of time before his fear of humans, may not completely disappear, but it will disappear enough to make him more independent of you."

"Yes, I hope so... I'm always worry about leaving him at the Inn when I have to go to work. Whenever I return, he looks at me in surprise and hugs me tightly, as if he thought I abandoned him but came back for him..." Yuuri said as he wiped his face of tears and sighed. Hearing the story of Yakov and Lilia had let him vent a little of his own worries. And knowing that he was doing the right thing (or at least the thing that seemed the correct thing to do) to try to make Viktor feel more secure, made him feel a little better with himself as well. "Thank you for telling me this. I promise I won't say anything."

Before Yakov could say anything else, they heard scratches on the door, and a second later the door opened, letting in a clean and lively poodle that ran into Yuuri's lap to lick his face.

"Awww! Makkachin, you found him!" Exclaimed Viktor, also rushing to his boyfriend to hug him and kiss him on the cheeks. But he stopped when he noticed the heavy atmosphere and looked at him with concern. "Yuuri? It's something wrong?"

"N-no. Nothing. It's just that I missed you." He said, not exactly a lie, to divert the subject. The silver-haired man showed him his heart-shaped smile and sat next to him, getting a little tight in the armchair, which Yuuri realized that Viktor had wet clothes. Surely Makkachin would have splashed him with water.

"Isn't my Yuuri such a cutie, Yakov?!" Viktor asked, hugging his boyfriend and his dog at the same time. "My Yuuri loves me as much as I love him…! Oh! Cupcakes!" He let go of them and his hands quickly went to the desserts on the table and took one to his mouth.

"Mmh, yes. You're very lucky." The man nodded as he rose from the armchair. "You two should go to rest. I can see you are tired for the trip. During lunch we will continue talking. You can retire now."

"Ok! We see you in a moment." Viktor said after finishing the cupcake. Then took Makkachin with one arm and wrap Yuuri's hand. And as they headed for their room, he made a suggestion. "Yuuri, we should take a bath. The bathroom is really huge!"

"Oh? Do you mean take a bath... together?" He inquired with his cheeks red, and Viktor vehemently nodded. They had already been together in the Inn's bathroom many times before, but it had only been because Yuuri helped him to bathe during the time Viktor's wounds were fresh. And when they healed, the silver-haired man was finally able to bathe without company. However, Viktor had already invited him many times to bathe together, but Yuuri always declined it because the bathtub wasn't very spacious for two people. But that didn't mean that he didn't like the idea. "Um... I don't know. What if there are some children?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. If I remember correctly, the bath time for the children is in the morning and at night. So we have all this free time for ourselves." Yuuri knew his boyfriend was very forgetful, but he pretended to believe him. Viktor probably obtained that information from Kenjirou.

"Okay."

They went to their room to search for clean clothes and towels, and left Makkachin in bed. When they entered the bathroom, Yuuri was surprised to see it. It was really huge. It was a Roman-style spa, with constant hot water and columns rising from the water to the ceiling. So he realized that the orphanage must be an older building than he thought.

With some embarrassment, Yuuri slowly removed his tunic and pants to leave them in a basket, while Viktor took off his clothes without shame and left it in the same place. Yuuri couldn't help but think with humor that if they hadn't seen each other naked before then he would be really ashamed. But in that moment, he felt more like sadness to see that Viktor's body was still covered with scars, and there were possibilities that some of them would never be gone.

Yuuri dip a foot into the water, feeling the steam hitting his skin, and then went down until he was seated on the bottom. Viktor sat behind him, resting his right cheek against his nape.

"Ah ... this is very relaxing," He murmured, feeling like dozing. He didn't know he felt so tired and tense until his muscles relaxed thanks to the contact with the water. Viktor hummed in approval.

"Yuuri, what did you and Yakov talk about?" He asked curiously as he backed up a bit and used his hands to massage his boyfriend's shoulders.

"Oh, um... That ..." Yuuri thought that that wasn't the right time to talk about it. Not if they were trying to relax. "Yakov, he... gave me a little lecture about dragons. And he said he was glad that I was your mate."

"Mmh. I'm glad to hear that." He mumbled affectionately, kissing his hair.

They continued bathing in a comfortable silence, except for the splash of water that slides down their faces. Viktor was pouring water over Yuuri's hair and slid his fingers down his black locks to his neck and shoulders and do the same in reverse, causing Yuuri to shiver with pleasure. After several minutes, Yuuri did the same for him, with the difference that the human stopped his fingers on his back to caress any scar it came across, as if he trying to erase them.

"I like when you do that." Viktor said turning to him, his blue eyes staring straight at Yuuri's browns. "When you touch my scars." He took one of his boyfriend's hands and kissed his fingers until it reached his knuckles, still looking at him.

Yuuri's face lit up. And trusting that they were alone in the bath, he joined his lips with Viktor's, whom, more than delighted by it, wrap Yuuri around his shoulders and deepened the kiss. It wasn't a passionate kiss, but it was loaded with need and longing, one that promised both of them that they would be fine as a long they were together.

However, they were interrupted by a familiar cry.

"Hey, you two! So gross! Don't do that here!" Yurio admonished them, his face red with anger and shame. Yuuri managed to avoid giving a squeak and hid behind Viktor.

"Yurio!" He said with a big smile. "You come to bathe too? I'm sorry, but my Yuuri and I won the bathroom."

"Yeah, I noticed." The blonde boy gritted his teeth. "But no. I just came to say you to leave now and change quickly. Apparently, today they will finally show us the face of the Prince in the city square."

"Um... and that's something... good?" Viktor asked, tilting his head like a confused puppy, while Yuuri quickly stepped out of the water and reached for his towel.

"Viktor, this is important!" Yuuri explained as he took his clean clothes and hid behind a column to change. "The princes never show their faces until they come of age. It is important event because we will finally see the face of our next King."

"Yuuri, do we have to go?" He asked in a pleading tone, and then the dark-haired man remembered that his dragon had had a panic attack just a few hours ago. And the city square would surely be full of people and soldiers, possibly even knights, not to mention the noise of the claps and the thousands of mixed smells.

"Um... Well, not really ..."

"Yes. We need to go." Said Yurio authoritatively and folded his arms. "Yakov's orders. The other dragons and the children will also go. You won't be alone. Hurry up." He said before leaving the bathroom, whipping the door.

Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief, feeling grateful for Yurio's support, since Viktor seemed convinced by that.


	13. The Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the prince!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay! I have certain page....umm... where I upload my doujins and drawings, so I haven't had time to continue to write as much I would like.  
> Also, you cand read my current doujin here! It's a Viktuuri Omegaverse~  
> http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/post/166050410343/pages-9-11-of-my-viktuuri-doujin-baby-on-board

Viktor was nervous, and tense. But he was more nervous than anything. He remembered from previous years that the social events that happens in the Plaza of the Capital, during holidays or some official announcement of the King, was always full of humans.

He knew that, while he was transmuted into his human aspect, no one would recognize him as a dragon. But his irrational side, his animal side, asked him to flee every time he looked at a human who wasn't his beloved Yuuri, who was his partner and who has always filled him with unconditionally love and caresses; or Yakov, the human who took care for him for years and always was there to remind him to have his feet on the ground.

Viktor and Yuuri were walking with their hands wrapped tightly, while Viktor carried Makkachin with his free arm (they didn't want to leave him alone in the orphanage), who waved his tail every time one of the children approached to pet him. In front of them Yakov was guiding the whole group, and the other dragons were around the children so that none get lost. Meanwhile, Kenjirou continued to gaze at the younger human with his starry eyes.

Viktor knew that Yuuri loved him and he would never leave him for another human/dragon, but his possessive instinct would bring out the worst of him and sometimes his jealousy side would win. But this time he let it pass. He could see that the red dragon was looking at his human rather with admiration and without desire. However, if Kenjirou tried something strange with his Yuuri... then he would have no qualms in doing something about it.

They reached the main square after about ten minutes of walking. And, indeed, it was full of humans. The nearby buildings were even adorned with the banners of the Royal Family, and Viktor was quite sure that they weren't there before when he and Yuuri strolled through the city. Surely the event was improvised.

"Viktor, are you all right?" Yuuri asked with concern, as the group settled in a place slightly away from the balcony where kings used to give their speeches, but close enough for the echo to catch up with them.

"Yes, Yuuri. I'm fine." He smiled calmly. He was happy, but at the same time, he was feeling a little guilty that his human was so worried for him. But at least this time he didn't have to pretend not to be scared. Viktor didn't feel as uncomfortable as he thought he would feel among so many humans. In spite of the crowd, he could easily smell Yakov, the other dragons, the children, and of course Yuuri and Makkachin, and that made him felt protected.

"Are you sure?" The dark-haired man insisted, and the silver-haired man answered by kissing his lips. Surprisingly, this time Yuuri didn't denied the public display of affection, and even allowed their lips to hold together for several seconds longer than usual.

And surprisingly, it was Viktor the one who broke the kiss after smelled the knights again, so he followed the fetid smell with his nose. The smell wasn't as strong as it was a few hours ago, and Viktor then noticed a row of knight on the balcony (surely those would be the prince's bodyguards).

"Viktor, they're here, right?" Yuuri asked after the abrupt interruption, and the silver-haired man looked back at his mate with embarrassment and his head down. "It's okay. They don't know who you are." He murmured as he took him by the waist to hug him, and the dragon did the same. "Do you know who are they?" Viktor shook his head.

"They wear their helmets on all the time. I never saw their faces." He lamented, and Yuuri kissed his cheek as comfort, while Makkachin licked his other cheek. Viktor felt ticklish and laughed, and some of his nerves disappeared a bit.

"How are you feeling, Viktor?" The couple immediately turned to the older man, who frowned at the white dragon, evidently also worried about his condition.

"I'm fine, Yakov. Thank you." Viktor smiled genuinely. Maybe he could fear the rest of humans, but having him and Yuuri on his side made him feel like that nothing bad could happen (and hoped soon he would also have the Katsuki's support when they learned he was a dragon.)

After fifteen or twenty minutes passed, as the crowd continued to search for good places to hear the speech about the Prince, the Herald came to announce the presence of King Alain Leroy, a man of perhaps forty years, with grayish blue eyes. And when he raised his voices, everyone in the crowd went silent.

"My people, I wanted to begin this speech by telling you how proud I'm that my son, the prince and his future king, will be twenty years old today, so he is now an adult. However, his birthday is tomorrow." King Alain said, and some people laughed. "My people, I'm really sorry that you had to stop your work to attend to listen to my words. But a few moments ago a very important decision has been made that will affect the whole Kingdom and will affect our lives permanently, and I hope it will be for the good. I can even assure you that this moment will be part of the History of the humanity. Therefore, we didn't want to wait another day to announce it."

Curious whispers were heard in every corner of the square when the King stopped talking to take a breath. But they stopped short when he waved his hand to warn them that he would continue.

"But I will not be the one to give you the news... So now, I present to you all your prince, my son, Jean-Jacques Leroy."

At that, both Viktor and Yuuri looked at each other with their eyes wide open. They knew that name thanks to Emil, whom had the suspicion that Captain Jean-Jacques was in the group that attacked the white dragon. Also, Viktor remembered that a certain 'Captain' was the one that stopped the other knights to finish him.

Behind a curtain emerged a man with a secure and somewhat haughty walk, who had a big confident smile on his face, and his eyes were gray blue as his father's. Far from looking like a prince, he wore the armor of the knights, though it was covered with pink scales embedded in the chest and gauntlets. Next to him and walking arm in arm was a woman with a sweet face and Asian features, with light blue eyes, and she wore rather plain robes. She didn't seem to be a princess either. But she ended up separating herself from him to let the prince face alone his audience.

"I know that many of you already know me." Prince Jean-Jacques began to say. "A couple of years ago I was given the position of Captain in the Militia, and thanks to it I have been able to contribute in a certain way to society and to live among you, my people, and with the soldiers and knights I have had under my charge." Many soldiers applauded and shouted from the crowd, and the prince laughed. "I know that usually the princes and princesses aren't allowed to leave their castles to avoid dangerous. However, I wanted to get to know the world and to know more about the life of the people that make up my Kingdom. To know about your needs, concerns, hopes and dreams, and all to help you to have better lives for when I become your King."

Applause and cheer were heard. And Viktor and Makkachin clung to Yuuri because of the noise. The prince continued with his speech when the cheering subsided a little.

"However... If something I learned in these two years living among you, is that there is still a great injustice that I think is worth to be the first thing I will treat as a Prince." He said, and his face became more serious. "The hunt of dragons."

And, as if the prince had said something forbidden, the murmurings of the people were heard loudly and with evident confusion.

"I'm sure many of you have already heard a recurring rumor about the sighting of a white dragon since a few months ago, which was lost track after weakening it," Said the prince, and both Viktor and Yuuri tensed. "I can confirm that rumor is true. Actually, I was the one who left him alive." Now the murmurs exploded, and Yurio approached the couple for moral support. "I'm aware that letting a dragon escape is considered a grave offense against humanity, and if it weren't because I'm the prince, surely my superiors in the Militia would have executed me. However, I just couldn't do it. I didn't have the heart or the courage to murder a creature that was only trying to defend itself against my men, and if it attacked us back it was only to protect itself. If the white dragon had wanted us dead, it would have killed us without any effort, but the dragon only defended itself and almost died for it..." He paused shortly, his eyes wandering in the crowd. "That made me question all the teachings that our ancestors have been instilled in us for generations, about the supposed ferocity and thirst for violence of the dragons, since I saw nothing of it that day."

As the prince spoke, the people kept silent to listen to him with interest.

"This is why, after so much time of negotiation with the Royal Counselors and the Senate, we have reached the mutual agreement that the hunting of dragons and their scales is imminently forbidden!" He said loudly, leaving no room for protest.

There was a general gasp and then but everyone kept silent. No one dared to say a word that might pose a problem with the Royal Family.

"That means, from now on, anyone who is caught hurting a dragon, or having him subjected as a slave, will be punished with the possibility of imprisonment. In the worst case, public execution. So the Nobles, or anyone who already has a dragon under his yoke, will have to release it today on the outskirts of the Capital... And don't be afraid, dragons will not try to get revenge. I can assure you that."

At this point all the people present were already more than confused and worried about the words of his prince. Although some seemed to make a murmur of approval, claiming that if the prince had said that it was because it must be true. But there were other people that, in protest, tried to make tumults. Fortunately, the soldiers seemed to be expecting that, and it didn't take them long to dissolved the riot.

The prince continued his speech to the end, although almost no one listened to him since everyone were discussed among themselves about the news.

Yuuri could see that Viktor and the other dragons looked at Prince Jean-Jacques with surprise, stunned, and possibly wondering if this was real.

The dragon hunt... was it finally over?

"I know that girl," Yurio said quietly, as the group hurried back to the orphanage in case the crowd went mad, (so none of the children would get hurt). "The one next to the prince." He specific, and they both shook their heads to let him know they remembered her. "Her name is Isabella. She is a pink dragon."

"Oh... She is... his mate," Yuuri murmured, not really surprising, as he remembered the pink scales that adorned the prince's armor.

"Yes, she is." The blond nodded. "And that explains a lot of things, actually."

"What do you mean?" He inquired curiously. Viktor kept silent and stared at his feet as they walked. But Yuuri can tell he was relaxed, so he didn't worry.

"Isabella works as a waitress in a tavern. I have had to send letters from her addressed to a knight a lot of times. She told me that this human was her mate, but she preferred not to tell me who he was, since we belonged to different clans. And I didn't want to know either," He said with a shrug. "But I would never have imagined that her human was one of those who attacked Viktor. I don't recognize his armor. He wasn't there when I was attacked."

"I don't remember seeing him either," Viktor finally said, turning to Yurio with a serious face. "But I recognize her scent in her mate. He never attacked me. He actually ... apologized to me for being late." Viktor had not noticed the tears that were running down his cheeks until his boyfriend tried to dry them with the sleeves of his robe. Then he laughed and kissed Yuuri's hand to assure him that he was all right. They were tears of relief. "I must find a way to thank him. If it weren't because he stopped them, the other knights would have killed me. I wouldn't be with my Yuuri right now." The dark-haired man smiled and pressed his lips on Viktor's in a quick kiss so they wouldn't be distracted from walking.

"Good luck with that," The blond grumbled after rolling his eyes. "I doubt the soldiers will let you approach the prince."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The dinner on the orphanage, which usually consisted of soup, bread and fruit, this time it had more elaborate dishes like salmon with herbs, beef stew, bread and cheese; wine for adults, and hot chocolate for the children (and for Viktor, too), since Yakov thought it would be best to celebrate the good news with a kind of banquet that both children and dragons could enjoy.

For a brief moment, the younger human wondered how it was possible that the orphanage could afford these kinds of foods (he had never seen chocolate in his life, only in books, since cocoa was an imported product), until he remembered the fact that under that house lived four dragons, which means many scales to exchange...

"Yuuri, try the chocolate!" Viktor suggested as he brought his own glass to Yuuri's mouth. "It tastes a bit bitter, but I added sugar to it, so it should tastes better." He said proudly, though Yuuri didn't need to be convinced since his curiosity overcame him.

"Oh... it's delicious!" He exclaimed in surprise. He had never tasted anything that sweet. "Now I see why you like chocolate that much."

"Yes! But... that's is not the only reason why I like it," The silver-haired man said, lowering his voice a little to an intimate whisper as he brought his face closer to his boyfriend, with his blue eyes staring straight at his browns. "Chocolate reminds me of the color of your eyes."

"Ah..." Yuuri didn't know what to answer, opening and closing his mouth without any sound coming out, and his face completely red. Although they had been living together for months, he just can't get used to his partner's flirtations. Not when those blue eyes, which shone like sapphires when they looked at him, always confirmed that there was nothing more important in the world for Viktor than he. But Yuuri was quickly distracted when he feel a piece of bread hitting his left temple. And when he turned to see if the children had started a food war, Yurio now was throwing pieces of bread at Viktor.

"Behave in from of the children." The golden dragon warned them with murderous gaze, though with a small smile on his mouth. Yuuri and Yuri threw pieces of bread at each other over dinner (when they were sure that Yakov didn't see them).

When everyone had finished their dinner, the children and the servants went to bed, leaving only Yuuri, Yakov, and the dragons in the dining room to continue their conversation. But a few minutes later, Chris, who had come to the Capital in a caravan with his wares; and several other dragons, who had also been under the tutelage of the older human, appeared to continue celebrating the news.

"Come on, Yuuri-kun!" Said Kenjirou, filling his glass with wine, though the younger human waved his hands in denial. "Not every day kings take dragons' side!"

"Yuuri. Please," A still-not-very-drunk Viktor whispered into his ear, wrapping his shoulders. The dark-haired man could smell the wine in his breath. "You know I like it when you drink. You become funnier."

"Yes, Yuuri. Do it for us," Said the green dragon, sitting in the adjoining chair. Then Viktor took the glass of wine from the table and brought it to the human's mouth.

"Vi-Viktor, please..." Yuuri pleaded, tilting his head to avoid the drink. He usually didn't mind drinking if he and his boyfriend were alone (or with Minako). But at that moment, with some dragons foreign for him, staring at them with curiosity, since they couldn't believe they were seeing the most famous human of the moment, (some had even had the same reaction as Kenjirou and Guang Hong after meeting him); Yuuri didn't want the worst part of him, the one he inherited from his father, to make present because of the wine and make a fool of himself.

"Viktor!" Yakov shouted from the other end of the table. "Leave Katsuki alone! Don't you see you're bothering him?!"

"...Oh!" The white dragon abruptly opened his eyes and immediately felt guilty, leaving the glass again on the table. "Yakov is right! Oh, Yuuri, I'm sorry... I think I'm too excited and wanted to share my happiness with you. It wasn't my intention to..." But is apology was stopped by the lips of his boyfriend.

"Don't apologize. It's okay, Viktor. I understand," Yuuri replied with a smile, stroking Viktor's neck. "I'm happy for you too, and I like to see you happy."

"Yuuri." He chortled his name with delight, his mouth forming a heart. "I love you! Marry me now!" The dark-haired man laughed and his cheeks flushed.

"Yes, we will marry soon. But for now, be patient. I love you too."

"I love you too, guys," Chris said, throwing his arms over Viktor and Yuuri to join in the hug, and the couple laughed.

"Yes, Chris. We love you, too," Said Viktor with a laugh. "But I'd appreciate it if you took off your hands of my fiancée." He said, not really threatening.

"Guys... Do you think it's true what the prince said?" Guang Hong asked suddenly, staring at a dead spot on the table. "I mean ... Do you really think humans would stop hunting us?"

"Yes, they have to. They have to follow the Law." Yakov answered seriously, folding his arms. "Even so, we must be aware that there will be humans who will try to continue to hunt you clandestinely. They will not let their gold mine go out of their hands. That is for sure. But dragons will have better chances to survive if other humans deign to protect them."

"Yeah, you're right about that," Chris said, finally releasing the couple. And he took his glass of wine before continuing. "In addition, there will be humans who would be reluctant to lose the dragons they already have caught. I couldn't hear the Prince's speech because I was just coming here with my caravan, but when I got to the gates of the citadel, there was a tumult of humans arguing like monkeys. Some shouting in our favor and others shouting against us."

"Well, I've heard a lot of good things about Captain Jean-Jacques, I mean! The Prince," Kenjirou said excitedly. "I don't think he's lying about something like this, knowing that most humans agree with the hunt and make a risk of a civil war. And less now that we know that Isabella is his mate."

"Emil always speak well about Captain Jean-Jaques," Yuuri added, trying to lighten the atmosphere with positive comments. "And Michele and Otabek have never complained about him. Then it is possible that he will fulfill his word as Prince."

"I can agree with that. If Michele has never complained about him, I suppose that's a good sign." Chris said laughing, raising his glass as a toast.

"Well, Otabek says that Jean-Jaques is quite presumptuous..." Yurio said with a bored face. "But taking into account the family from which he comes, I suppose it is understandable."

"Yuuri, I'm sleepy," Viktor complained after a long yawn.

"Ah, yes. It's late." Yuuri nodded as he got up from the chair, and reached out a hand to his boyfriend to help him get up after realizing that he was caressing his injured leg. "We retired now. Good night." He said, and Chris gave a sigh of mock anger.

"You are going to sleep now? Won't you have a 'sword fight' today?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, and Yuuri looked at him in confusion for a few seconds until he understood the double meaning.

"Chri-Chris!" He exclaimed blushing and covering his face with both hands, while Viktor laughed.

"No, probably not," The white dragon replied as he encircled Yuuri's hips, bringing his mouth to his ear to whisper. "But if my Yuuri strives to seduce me..."

"Vi-Viktor!" He reprimanded him as he covered his ear after shivering. His face couldn't blush anymore. Kenjirou and Guang Hong were also blushing.

"Get the hell out of here! I'm disgusted." Yurio said menacingly, but the couple smile as they waved their hands at him.

When Viktor and Yuuri entered their room, they were greeted by the playful barking of an enthusiastic Makkachin who rushed towards them and the silver-haired man took him in his arms to pamper him. After putting on theirs pajamas and getting under the sheets, the poodle licked their faces before he settled between their feet to sleep, while Viktor slipped an arm around Yuuri's waist and pulled him to a tightly hug.

"Do we have plans for tomorrow?" He inquired quietly after yawning again.

"Umm. I don't know. I was hoping we could continue to walking around the city," Yuuri replied as he put a hand on Viktor's silver hair, and Viktor made a purring sound as he rested his head on Yuuri's shoulder. "Oh, Minako-sensei told me there was a large bookstore in the main square, that maybe there I can find a more advanced dictionary of Latin. But I forgot to look for it when we were there. Maybe we could..." The black-haired man paused for a moment, remembering the events of that day. "No. It would be the best if we didn't get out tomorrow... Chris said there was a lot of people arguing about the new law, and we might have the misfortune to be in the middle of some street fight."

"Mmh. You're right..." Said the silver-haired man as he took one of his boyfriend's hands to kiss it, and Yuuri in change kissed his forehead. "I know!" He said excitedly. "We should stay here tomorrow and continue what we were doing in the bathroom." He murmured, pressing his lips to his boyfriend's neck, tickling him.

"Viktor, no!" He replied with a laugh, and the silver-haired man also laughed. Seconds after the laughter subsided, and Yuuri continued. "Umm... By the way... How do you feel about the news?"

Viktor didn't answer immediately, and Yuuri would have believed that he had fallen asleep except that his dragon continued to hold his hand, stroking it in circles with his thumb.

"It's weird...," He finally said after a couple of minutes. "To know that the same knight who prevented my head from being cut off, is the same human who is now the one who dictates a Law to prevent more dragons being hunted... I suppose that gives me a little more faith in humanity... Even so, despite all that, what I'm truly grateful for is that if, it wasn't for him, I would never have found you." He lifted his head and joined his lips with Yuuri's in tender kiss. But he broke the kiss away in shock as Yuuri started sobbing. "Yu-Yuuri? Why are you crying?" He asked as he felt his heart break in two, and then brought a hand to Yuuri's face to try to dry his tears. But the dark-haired man laughed.

"I... Pardon me. It's just ... I'm relieved that you think that." He smiled. "I mean. I don't expect you to trust all humans. I just want you to know that not everyone will try to hurt you, and now they're orders from the Royal Family." He took Viktor's cheeks and put their foreheads together. "Besides, I will always be by your side, and I look forward to our wedding." He said, and he could see without his glasses, thanks to the moonlight coming through the curtains half closed, the blue orbs of Viktor looking at him with love.

"Yuuri..." The silver-haired man whispered his name with affection. And Yuuri prepared his lips to receive another kiss, however, what he received was a lick in the cheek.

"Viktor!" He have exclaimed with a laugh. "Why did you do that?!"

"I'm sorry, Yuuri." He responded with amusement. "It's just that my 'dragon side' wanted to kiss you."

"And what about your 'human side'?" Yuuri asked coquettishly, though with some shyness. Viktor raised an eyebrow and smiled wickedly.

"Well. Chris suggested a 'sword fight', and right now, thanks to you, I feel very awake. What do you think?" Viktor didn't even wait for an answer when he began to kiss his mate's neck and to slip a hand under his clothes.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Only a couple of hours later, when everyone in the orphanage was supposed to be sleeping, and the dragons who were visiting would have already left; Viktor, Yuuri and Makkachin were awakened by several knocks on their door.

Yuuri, a little exalted, was the first one to wake up when he heard Yurio insisting that they should open the door. It didn't sound like an emergency, however, both he and Viktor were naked, so he hurriedly dressed.

"Yurio? What's wrong?" He asked after opening the door, leaning on it as he tried not to fall asleep again, with the puppy at his side, looking at the golden dragon curiously.

"I'm sorry to bother you. But you two have a visitor. Wake up Viktor and come to the common room right now." He said before disappearing down the hallway, leaving Yuuri even more confused.

"Visits ... for us?" For a moment he feared it was a bad thing, but Yurio seemed strangely calm, so he decided first to know what was going on before worrying. "Makkachin, go and wake Viktor." He said jokingly, but he started laughing when the puppy barked and rushed to the bed to wake Viktor with his tongue in his face.

When the couple reached the common room, with the puppy following them behind, they definitely didn't expect to meet Isabella sitting on one of the sofas in front of Yakov, and who, after noticing their presence, immediately rose and bowed. Yuuri, surprised, took him a couple of seconds to do the same, and Viktor imitated him.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you at this time of night," Said the girl with a somewhat shy smile. "My name is Isabella, I'm a pink dragon." She said, and showed her scales by raising one arm to her chest. "I came here as soon as things settled down in the city so that no one in the streets would recognize me. JJ also wanted to come and meet you, but he has matters to attend to in the Militia with his superiors."

"I'm sorry for disturbing you at this time of the night," Said the girl with a somewhat shy smile. "My name is Isabella, I'm a pink dragon." She said and showed her scales by raising one arm. "I came here as soon as things settled down in the city so that no one in the streets would recognize me. JJ also wanted to come and meet you, but he has matters to attend to in the Militia with his superiors."

"About the prohibition of the hunt of dragons." Yakov added. "The Militia must be the ones who suffer the most because of that law. It's a pride for them to hunt dragons." The girl nodded.

"Oh, I see..." It was all Yuuri could say, and he could only assume that with 'JJ' she meant Captain/Prince Jean-Jaques.

"You're his mate, right?" Viktor asked suddenly, with a serious but not annoying face. "I smelled you when he stopped the others from cutting off my head." Yuuri stared at his dragon, mouth agape. It was the first time he had heard him speak so calm with others about his encounter with the Knights.

"Yes..." Isabella lowered her eyes. "I smelled you, too. JJ had his armor stained with your blood. And...I-I was so angry with him that it took me several hours to calm down and let him explain me that he actually did the possible he could to convince his man to stopped the hunt of the golden dragon... So JJ wasn't expected to find a white dragon instead..." She said it looking at Viktor. The silver-haired man could see the guilt in her eyes.

"And that's what saved my life," Replied Viktor with a small smile. "You must be proud of him."

"Oh..." Isabella looked at him in surprise, not expecting such sincerity in his words. "I am." She said with a smile of relief.

"They were trying to hunt me, actually," Yurio said, who was folding his arms and staring at the floor. "Viktor just had the bad idea of protect me."

"Yuri." The girl looked at him in horror. "I had no idea that you were that golden dragon! If I had known before, I..." But the blond boy shook hs head.

"It is nobody's fault. In any case, I should have hidden my trail better," Yurio said as he headed for the armchairs, seating himself near to Yakov. "Isabella, what brings you here? Did you want to make sure Viktor and his human knew about the new law?"

"It's one of the reasons." She admitted. "As soon as I knew that Yuuri Katsuki was in the city, I wanted to come and meet him and make sure that the rumors about him were true." Yuuri flushed at that, realizing that all the new dragons he had known so far always approaching him with respect and some kind of adoration in their eyes (Kenjirou being the one who showed it the most).

"Oh, well. I'm not familiar with those rumors," Viktor said, hugging his mate by behind. "But I can assure you that my Yuuri is very lovely. He is the most kind and lovable human I know. And if it wasn't for your mate, I would never have known him." He kissed Yuuri's cheek, and nuzzled his nose into his neck, causing the dark-haired man to shiver. "So you and your human have nothing to apologize to me. In fact, you could say that I'm the one who is indebted to him."

"I'm glad to hear that." Isabella laughed, slightly flushed at the displays of affection. "In that case... Viktor, Yuuri, I need to ask you a favor. Would you listen to me?"


	14. The hunting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay! I have certain page...umm... where I upload my doujins and drawings, so I haven't had time to continue to translate the fic as much I would like.  
> Also, you cand read my current doujin here! It's a Viktuuri Omegaverse~  
> http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/post/166050410343/pages-9-11-of-my-viktuuri-doujin-baby-on-board

Yuuri didn't know what to expect when Isabella asked them for help, but it had would never occurred to him that it was something that big.

The dark-haired man at first was a bit reluctant to continue listening to her. He knew he was being a little selfish, since his only concern was Viktor's safety, and Viktor would be affected if they followed the girl's plans.

"I know it's risky..." Isabella continued while playing nervously with a handkerchief that seemed to be made of silk. "But it's the only plan we have before the King's soldiers gather at the gates of the citadel within two hours to release the dragons that they took away from the aristocrats... Many of those dragons are still very young and they will be disoriented. They will not know what to do or where to go."

"And they may be so scared that they could hurt someone by mistake. But they will feel calmer if there are any free dragon waiting for them from outside." Yakov commented, understanding the girl's concern. "In the orphanage we won't have problems to accepting them if those dragons really want to come here. But it must be by their own will."

"Yuuri. I'll do whatever you ask me to do." Viktor mumbled, nuzzled his partner's neck to smell its marine fragrance. The silver-haired man used to smell him in that insistent way when he was nervous, and that made Yuuri worried.

"I... I don't know." Yuuri sighed tiredly, caressing his temple, annoyed at the thought; while feeling Viktor's strong arms clinging to his waist. They were both sitting together on one of the couches, while Yakov and Yurio looked at them expectantly, and Makkachin whining at their feet after perceive the stress of both. "Does Viktor have to be the one that will be waiting for them?" He asked for another option. He knew Viktor was afraid the crowds, but he also knew that, being a white dragon, it would be easier for him to convince the other dragons to follow him. "What if there are scale hunters waiting for them at the edges of the city?"

"That's what we want to avoid." Isabella answered with a more sympathetic voice. "JJ and his royal soldiers will be trying to keep a clean escape route for the dragons. They have small brigades scattered near the gates of the citadel. We need to set these dragons free tonight to prevent the scale hunters from having time to organize. Also, at this afternoon I was able to talk with some dragons while we were guarding them in the castle, and several are willing to come to the orphanage and live among humans because they know your story with Viktor and Yakov with Lilia. I just hope that they have been able to pass the news between them and make things easier for us."

"Oh..." Yuuri looked at Yakov, remembering his words about the trust the dragons placed in him because he saved one of his kind. While Yakov was well known for being Lilia's partner and being like a second father to many of the dragons that were under his tutelage. The older human looked at him back for a few seconds before nodding. Then Yuuri turned to Viktor to caressing his right cheek tenderly. "Viktor, what do you think?"

"I..." He turned his gaze away from Yuuri for a couple of seconds, and then looked back at him, covering his hand with his own, and his blue eyes twinkling with confidence. "I want to help those dragons. I want them to know that there are good humans like you and Yakov who will help them no matter what. I want them to also experience being saved by the most beautiful human of all, although, I won't let them fall in love with you because you are only mine..." He finished saying, bringing their faces close to brush their noses, but Yuuri flinched, embarrassment because everyone was looking at them, immediately hiding his red face on his boyfriend shoulder while Viktor laughed amused. Then he continued. "Also, if Isabella trusts her human so much, who also saved my life, then I must give her the benefit of the doubt and settle my account with them."

Yuuri kept hugging his boyfriend for several seconds, trying to digest the plan and Viktor's words. Makkachin climbed onto the couch by climbing his legs and began to bite his arm playfully.

"Ok. We will do it." Yuuri finally said while petting the poodle, although he didn't felt very convinced about the plan. But Viktor smiled and kissed his cheek.

"When will we leave then?" Yurio said, since everyone seemed to agree.

"You will not go!" Yakov and Viktor said in unison, with a frown, and the blond boy looked at them with surprise and disbelief.

"What?! Why?! "He snapped annoyed.

"You are very young and I don't want you to expose yourself to danger." Viktor replied.

"I'll need you here to help me prepare the new rooms." Yakov said.

"But you two shouldn't go alone!" The golden dragon tried to argue, pointing accusingly towards Viktor and Yuuri, but the silver-haired man shook his head.

"I'm sure Chris or Georgi will love to join us."

"Don't worry. There will be another dragon to assist us. But for now we must hurry," Isabella said, getting up from the couch. "I have a carriage prepared with enough space. On the way I will tell you the whole plan."

Before leaving the orphanage, Viktor woke up Chris and Georgi, who agreed to accompany them without problems, while Yuri, Guang-Hong and Kenjirou had to stay to help the servants to clean the free rooms while trying no to wake the children. And Yuuri left Makkachin in their room.

After getting into the carriage, Viktor and Yuuri sat together, holding hands, and Chris and Georgi at their sides. Isabella sat in front of them and proceed to tell them in depth the plan. The human and the other three dragons listened intently.

The plan was that Isabella would watch for the release of the dragons from the top of the city walls and then inform the others by lighting a torch, which Chris immediately volunteered to go instead of her, since his night vision was better; while a black dragon (which Yuuri would soon recognize as Phichit's partner) would roam the forest to warn the others if hunters were nearby and looking for other escape routes just in case, and Georgi also volunteered. The white dragon and his human would then be in charge of guiding the dragons to the meeting point, where Isabella and the coachman (one of the many younger brothers of the prince) would be waiting for them with the carriage.

After an hour they reached the gates of the Capital, where they could see through the windows how the royal soldiers were circling several cages with relatively small dragons within, while the larger dragons were chained while their wings tied with ropes.

A soldier approached the carriage to inspect it, but made a respectful greeting when he saw Isabella and then let them continue without problems.

Outside the citadel, a few feet ahead, the carriage stopped for a moment to let Chris out, who quickly climbed the walls using his claws, wearing a hood so as not to be recognized.

Fifteen more minutes and they arrived at the meeting point. A place where the trees were taller and it would be easier to hide in case they needed to run away from something. And there is where they met the Phichit's mate.

"I wish we had met under better circumstances, Yuuri Katsuki," Seung-gil commented dryly. He was an Asian man with black hair and serious eyes, who bowed his head for a moment before continuing with his monotonous voice. "Phichit only says good things about you. It's good to have you on our side. Just don't disappoint me."

"Um. Yes. The pleasure is mine..." Yuuri replied timidly, bowing his torso. If Phichit had not told him before about his partner's tactlessness, Yuuri would have panicked and thought that the black dragon hated him. Phichit and Seung-gil had really opposite personalities. Meanwhile, Viktor raised a hand in a childish way to greet him with familiarity. Seung-gil simply nodded.

"And Viktor... it's good to see you alive."

"Thank you, Seung-gil. I'm always glad to see you as excited as usual." Viktor replied sarcastically and laughed.

Thw few things Yuuri knew about Seung-gil, it was that he was a banker in a town near the Capital. However, part of his clan lived within the walls of the citadel. So it didn't seem so strange to see him with Isabella, because surely they were part of the same clan.

"It's almost time. We must prepare ourselves." The girl said as she pulled out of the carriage a hood that she gave to Yuuri and a rope that would help him to stay on Viktor's back during his dragon form.

Yuuri made sure to tie the knots of the rope not so tight in order to not to hurt Viktor's neck after transmuted. And, before covering his face with the hood, the silver-haired man took him by the shoulders.

"Don't be nervous, okay? Or you'll make me feel nervous too," Viktor said jokingly. And a weak smile appeared on Yuuri's lips to let him know that he was fine. Although it was evident that both trembled with nerves. "Oh, Yuuri. Have I told you how particularly beautiful you look under the moonlight?" He mumbled and sigh, fluttering his silver eyelashes flirtatiously, expecting that would distract his boyfriend enough to make him blush as usual. However, the dark-haired man stepped forward and kissed Viktor's lips with such ferocity that it was Viktor the one who ended up blushing.

"Oh! Um... I'm sorry... I ... " Yuuri mumbled, covering his face with his hands with shame. He wasn't sure why he did that, but he figured that was an unconscious way of getting rid of a bit of fear and anxiety, because he felt much better after doing it. curiously, that seemed to works for Viktor too because of the loving gaze he gave to Yuuri.

"It's okay, Yuuri. I loved that." He wrapped Yuuri'swaist and kissed his forehead as he smiled. "You should do it that more often. It was very sexy..." He added with a sweet voice.

"Oh, you two are so cute." Georgi commented while wiping a tear dramatically. "If only Anya and I were like that, so lovely..."

"Um... Who is Anya?" Yuuri inquired, his face still red with embarrassment.

"It's Georgi's mate. She is a lilac dragon if I remember correctly." Now Viktor turned to the violet dragon. "How long have you been together? Twenty years?"

"Twenty years, five months, two weeks, and one day. But Anya doesn't like humans, so she doesn't live in the orphanage or in the city but in a nearby cave here. I hope that you don't take it personally, Yuuri. "

"Oh. N-no, of course not... "Yuuri answered waving of his hands. Then he remembered why it wouldn't be so simple to try to convince the dragons to go to the orphanage with them.

"The torch is lit," Announced Seung-gil, and before the others could respond, he showed is black scales and went into the forest to watch the surroundings.

Georgi turned to Viktor and Yuuri and held up a thumb as a sign of camaraderie before doing the same and disappearing into the trees.

"It's about time..." Viktor mumbled, and joined his lips to Yuuri's one last time before turning his back to him and transmuting.

The dark-haired man clung to the ropes and closed his eyes tightly when he felt the wind hit his face, and it took him several seconds to dare to open them again, and then he could see, from a considerable height, how the Capital sparkled splendid thanks to the night lights of the lanterns.

Yuuri knew there was no need to accompany Viktor on that mission, since he couldn't hear the dragons and wouldn't know if the others shouted warnings. Yuuri wasn't useful, and he could have stayed in the carriage with Isabella waiting for everyone to return. However, from the beginning, the silver-haired man made it very clear that he wouldn't collaborate if Yuuri wasn't with him all the time. At the same time, it never crossed Yuuri's mind to even leave Viktor alone.

In less than five minutes the white dragon and his human overflew the gates of the Capital and see the other dragons. They were about fifteen, and could be distinguished with various colors such as red, copper, gray, black, beige and purple. Several dragons, who were already free, seemed disoriented and walked clumsily in circles, throwing in their way soldiers and buildings, while other dragons were motionless, but seemed nervous. Yuuri could only imagine that they were trying to reason with others while trying to calm themselves down.

To make things worse, a horde of citizens, who perhaps were awakened by the noises, had gathered to shout expletives and raise various objects with the intention of using them as weapons and trying to knock over the soldiers to reach the dragons.

Nonetheless, all those chaos stopped when Viktor landed on the walls and gave a great roar that made both dragons and humans to look at him with bewilderment.

As soon as the night became silent, Yuuri sensed that Viktor was talking to the dragons because they dragged their heads to look at each other and then at the white dragon. Chris then landed next to him in his green dragon form, perhaps as moral support and letting others to know that the white dragon wouldn't be trick them.

Several seconds passed, in which the dark-haired man feel increasingly nervous and sweat cold as the crowd of humans began to multiply while the dragons didn't seem to want to move. People started throwing stones and whatever they had at hand, hitting some dragons, which simply moaned and retreated (more from humiliation than from pain).

The dragons then seemed to come to their senses and began to beat their wings, although some ran towards the exit doors (their wings probably were broken). Viktor and Chris also flight and guided the dragons to the carriage.

Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was going according to plan. However, from the trees appeared a blanket made of arrows, and some dragons (and Yuuri) squeak and separated from the group, but Viktor simply gave another roar that was enough for everyone to calm down. Perhaps due to the lack of vision by the darkness, no arrow seemed to hit the targets, and they stopped firing when a blaze of green fire appeared from somewhere from the trees.

If Yuuri remembered well, the black dragons were the ones that had the ability to spit green fire, which was significantly more powerful than the standard red fire of most dragons, meaning that Seung-gil must be trying to distract the hunters.

He also remembered that Viktor had once told him that he could throw blue fire, but that it was too powerful and only served to hurt others (or heat water faster).

When they landed at the meeting point, some dragons transmuted into humans along with Viktor and Chris, while others continued on their way on foot, trusting in the safety of the night not to be found in the forest. Yuuri would later learn that they already had a home to go to or that they simply didn't care about the company of humans, leaving only six dragons with them.

Before Yuuri could get down from Viktor's back, Viktor kept running until he came to a stop behind a big tree and fell to his knees on the roots, almost causing Yuuri to hit his face against the ground, but he managed to used his hands in time to avoid the impact.

"Vi-Viktor?" He called uncertainty, not sure what was happening. He tried to help his boyfriend get into his feet, but the silver-haired man fell over him to hug him and hide his face on his neck. Both ended up sitting on the ground.

"Don't speak. They are looking for us..." Viktor mumbled, hugging Yuuri tightly.

"B-but, Viktor. You're bleeding." He said in a very low voice, almost inaudible so as not to alarm more the other dragons, after feeling a hot liquid on his boyfriend's right arm.

"It's a superficial wound. I'll be fine. Just keep quiet." He replied harshly, but without intending to admonish him. However, no matter how confident his voice sounded, Viktor shivered and clung to Yuuri with such force, that the dark-haired man felt that he was short of breath. Although that didn't persuade him to want to let go of his boyfriend. On the contrary, Yuuri wrapped Viktor's neck and pet his silver hair, patiently waiting for the situation to calm down.

But Yuuri also felt his body shake with nerves. He feared the worst. From the corner of his eye he could see that Chris, Isabella and the other dragons were also hiding in the trees near to them. At the same time, the screams of the hunters were heard in the distance. Yuuri prayed that those screams were of fear and not because Georgi or Seung-gil were hurting them.

No one was sure of how much time had passed, but it felt as it would have been for an eternity. And it was not until the violet dragon and the black dragon appeared that everyone could breathe easy.

"Clear. We can go back." Seung-gil said with an apparent stoic face, although his chest was shaking with an accelerated rhythm. Georgi also looked a bit tired, but both were fine.

Yuuri then lost no time and pulled Viktor out of his hiding place so he could see his wounds thanks to the moonlight. But, as the silver-haired man had already said, he only had an scratch on the arm and already had stopped bleeding.

"I told you. I'm fine." Viktor said with a small mocking smile, and Yuuri breathed a sigh of relief before hugging him again.

"You cannot blame me for worrying about you... And what about your leg? Does it hurt? You almost make me hit the ground... "

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Viktor said while kissing his cheeks. Even the danger had passed, both continued to feeling a little scare. Their only comfort was holding each other in their arms as a way to make sure they were both well. "My leg is fine. I'm just tired. We didn't sleep much before we came here, remember?" He asked, muttering in his ear, and Yuuri laughed and blushed after remembering their 'sword fight'.

"So, is that human really Yuuri Katsuki? The one who saved your life?" One of the dragons inquired. He was a tall man with brown hair and blue eyes, whose complexion, although muscular, was very thin and his face didn't seem naturally pale; He was starved, just like the other dragons. And because of the tunic he was wearing, Yuuri imagined that he must be an architect.

"The same Yuuri." Chris answered instead of Viktor as he winked at the brown-haired man, who laughed at that.

"In that case, I can trust that the invitation to Yakov Feltsman's orphanage is real," He said, and the other five rescued dragons looked at them expectantly. Yuuri observe them and realizing that within the group there were very young dragons, because their human appearances weren't older than Yurio. Obviously they weren't more than a hundred years old.

"Yes. Other dragons will be waiting for you there," Isabella answered earnestly. "You will be safe there for tonight. After you rest, then you can decide what to do for later. Anything you need, you can talk to me and I'll let the Prince know."

"The Prince?" The brown-haired man repeated in disbelief.

"Oh yeah. The Prince is my mate." The girl replied with her cheeks flushed and a smile, which caused the dragons to tense and talk to each other.

"Ok..." Continued the brown-haired man, who apparently had become the group's spokesman since he was older. "We want to thank you all for coming to look for us. We accept to go to the orphanage with you."

"I am afraid that I have to warn you that in the orphanage we have children and human servitude," Georgi said, trying not to sound negative. But he had seen before how his mate became aggressive when there were humans nearby to her. "If some of you have a problem with that, I can take you somewhere else."

The six dragons considered it for a moment, and some turned their tired gaze towards Yuuri, who hugged Viktor because he really didn't like the attention. And Viktor likewise clung to Yuuri, more because he didn't like it when other people or dragons looked at his boyfriend even if it wasn't in a romantic way.

"It's fine," Said the brown-haired man when they finished arguing. "We trust that human children aren't dangerous and that Yakov Feltsman wouldn't let any danger human work for him. By the way, my name is Masumi. As you already saw, I'm a beige dragon." He approached Yuuri and offered his hand. The dark-haired man reciprocated with a slight smile, certainly relieved that Masumi wasn't afraid of him.

Masumi later did the same with Viktor, and then turned to the blond man.

"And I'm Chris." Said the green dragon, taking Masumi's hand with both, caressing his knuckles while raising an eyebrow suggestively. "And I think you and I should be mates. What do you say about that, handsome?"

"I like that idea." Masumi replied with a more genuine laugh, even his face softened and he no longer looked so pale.

The human, the girl and the younger dragons blushed to see how Chris and Masumi swore eternal loyalty to each other and sealed it with a kiss, Yuuri being especially surprised because he really didn't believe at first that Yakov was right about the 'becoming a partner immediately' thing... Although, of course, Viktor had already told him that if it hadn't been because he couldn't transmute into a human the moment they met, he would have declared his love for him from the moment Yuuri gave him the elixir.


	15. The clans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay! I have certain page...umm... where I upload my doujins and drawings, so I haven't had time to continue to translate the fic as much I would like.  
> Also, you cand read my current doujin here! It's a Viktuuri Omegaverse~  
> https://www.facebook.com/pg/rhapeseuhansface/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1712575029045565

The first thing Yuuri did when they returned to the orphanage was to take Viktor's uninjured arm and take him straight to their room. Yakov and Georgi were the ones who made sure to accommodate the rescued dragons in their new rooms. Isabella and the Prince's brother returned to the castle, but the girl promised to return in a few days.

With some hurry, the dark-haired man searched among his travel bags for the elixir bottle he always carried with him. He took a rag from the wooden chest and bathed it with the medicine while the silver-haired man took off his bloodstained tunic. Viktor let out a slight moan of pain as he suddenly felt the fabric on the cut.

"I'm sorry." Yuuri apologized, his voice tightening in his throat. He cannot help but remembering with sad the first time he healed his boyfriend's injuries. Viktor could perceive his stress and then put a hand on Yuuri's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"Yuuri. I'm fine. It is a small cut. It is not a big deal." He said giving him a small kiss on the lips to assure him that everything was fine, and that he shouldn't be worried about the wound. But Yuuri shook his head.

"It will become another scar..."

"Ah!" Viktor wide opened his mouth, feigning surprise. "Yuuri! Do you think my body is ugly because I have scars?!"

"What?! N-no! Your body is beautiful!" He exclaimed before he could even think what he was saying, so he ended up with a completely red face of embarrassment seconds later, when Viktor winked at him to let him know how flattered he felt for the compliment. "I-I mean... You know I don't mind about your scars..." He said, and he used the hand without the rag to caressing Viktor's bare chest, touching and observing the healed scars. Some still were reddish and others already white, so they could be easily confused with Viktor's natural skin tone.

"I know. I get it. I don't like them either," He said with a sad smile. "However, and unfortunately, they are already part of me. So I try not to think too much about it. And I'm glad you aren't bothered by them ..." He took Yuuri's hand and kissed his knuckles, feeling eternally grateful for the hands that healed him months ago and that were still caring him. Then he showed a more genuine and so vulnerable smile that made Yuuri's worries subside considerably. "I promise we won't do anything this risky again, okay? I have already paid my debt with Isabella and the Prince, so we won't to have to expose ourselves like this again."

The dark-haired man slowly nodded as he struggled to hold back the tears. Viktor took the rag off from his hand and left it on the wooden desk to guide Yuuri to the bed, where Makkachin was waiting for them, wagging his tail.

Many hours later, Viktor and Yuuri continued to sleep, because of the exhausted they were by the events during the night. Meanwhile, Yakov, Yuri, Guang Hong and Kenjirou did everything they could so the dragons would felt as comfortable to be around the human children, which wasn't so simple since they were still weak and scared.

On the other side, Georgi, Chris and Masumi decided to go for a walk in the citadel to collect information about the current state of the Capital and to know if the rumor about the dragons release was spread (and be sure that no one had followed their track during the return). They also went to tell other dragons that the plan had been successful.

After midday, Yuuri was the first to wake up on his side, holding his boyfriend's waist, and his face against Viktor's bare chest, while the silver-haired man, who was hugged him firmly around the shoulders, had his nose sunken in his black hair. As usual, Yuuri tried to disentangle himself from his dragon, but his superhuman strength kept him stuck to him without problems. But Yuuri knew that, with a kiss of good morning, a sleepy Viktor would understand that it was time to wake up and relax his arms to let him out of bed.

While Yuuri was preparing to 'start' the day by wearing a clean tunic and picking up the blood-stained tunic from the floor (to take it later to the laundry), he heard that someone was knocking on the door, which caused Makkachin to lift his head from the mattress and begin to barked with curiosity, which also caused Viktor to opened his silver lashes heavily, feeling disoriented, and his hair completely disheveled.

"Yuuri-kun! Viktor-sama! Are you already awake?" Asked the red dragon still knocking on the door, and the dark-haired man hurried to open it.

"Yes, Kenjirou-kun?" Yuuri replied, also using an honorific as a sign of courtesy, just as the blond boy did it. He was even amused by the fact that Kenjirou addressed Viktor with so much respect. "Something wrong?" He inquired before yawning.

"Um no. Nothing!" Exclaimed the younger dragon, smiling and looking at Yuuri with his eyes made of stars, trying not to jump of happiness for having the human of the Legend in front of him. "It's just that is past noon, and Mr. Feltsman wanted to know if you were awake. And, Viktor-sama..." He turned to the white dragon, from whom he could clearly sense a possessive aura from the bed, so the red dragon shrugged in submission. "They need you in the office. I-it's not something bad!" He added when Yuuri made a worried frown, but then relaxed when he heard the latest.

"Mmh... Okay. Thank you." Viktor replied with a forced smile, hoping that Yuuri don't noticed his jealousy. He knew that his human didn't like it when he acted jealous. Even Viktor himself could admit that he, sometimes, behaved unnecessarily aggressively because of this.

Besides, he couldn't blame Kenjirou for admiring his beautiful boyfriend... Or fiancé? Oh! Viktor was already beginning to forget what term he was supposed to address Yuuri until they were married 'as humans'. Why were humans so complicated with words?!

"Umm. Yuuri-kun..." Kenjirou continued while the silver-haired man put on a clean tunic and boots. "Guang Hong and I wanted to know if... you would want to help us in the kitchen today," He asked timidly. "Since we have more mouths to feed now, we are a little short of staff to prepare the dishes on time. And the lunch is in an hour."

"Oh! Of course. No problem." Yuuri replied shyly as well. "Although, I have to admit that I don't know how to cook. Viktor is the one who knows. He's a kitchen helper at the inn we live in." He said proudly, evidently bragging about his boyfriend's skills. That made him won a loving kiss on the lips.

The red dragon screamed in surprise, but managed to get his hands to his mouth in time so as not to scare anyone.

"Yuuri, if you like that much how I cook, in that case I'll have to ask Yakov to let me cook pork cutlet bowl tonight." He said, and kissed his mate's cheek before murmuring seductively in his ear. "And then I'll be your dessert."

Yuuri, feeling a chill run through his body by the warm breath of his boyfriend on his neck, couldn't do anything but nod slowly as he watched Viktor leave the room to go to Yakov's office, but not before calling Makkachin to accompany him.

"Uhmm... So... Let's go to the kitchen?" Yuuri suggested after an awkward silence, not knowing that Kenjirou had really enjoyed watching the previous scene.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Yuuri. Thank you very much for coming here to give us a hand." Guang Hong said while kneading the flour to make bread. The cook and other two servants girls were ran from one place to another to prepare the dishes. "Georgi is taking care of our new tenants, and Yuri is watching the children. Chris and Masumi are still out, and Yakov is talking to Viktor, so... I didn't know who else to turn to."

"It's okay. It is a pleasure for me to help. Also, cutting vegetables is the least I can do for you for and your hospitality with me."

"It's not about hospitality, Yuuri-kun!" Snapped Kenjirou, who was watching the bread that was already inside the stone oven. "You are part of our clan! You are part of our family. And family is always there to help each other."

"Yes, it's true!" Said Guang Hong with his cheeks flushed. "Uhm...Unless you and Viktor want to start another Clan..." He murmured thoughtfully. "But-but you would still be our friends!"

"Oh no. Viktor and I are fine in the Feltsman clan." Yuuri replied with a smile.

As Viktor and Mila had once explained to Yuuri, to dragons, Clans weren't about blood ties but friendship and familiarity. Dragons that were parents and children, brothers or cousins; they could belong to different clans without any grudge.

Dragons considered as part of their clan the individuals with whom they lived daily or with those who had greater affinity. And unlike humans, being from different clans didn't cause any dissonance between them. If Yuuri remembered well, Phichit was from another clan, the same one to which his mate Seung-gil belonged; and Sara and Michele (and Emil) to another, and still all they lived peacefully together in Mila's Inn.

Yuuri, being Viktor's mate, that automatically made him part of his clan, one where Yakov was considered the 'pack leader' despite not being a dragon. The silver-haired man had confided to his boyfriend that the main reason that the older human had been so angry with him about returning to his nest, it was because Yakov had asked him to take his place as the next clan leader, something that the white dragon refused vehemently because that would mean inheriting responsibilities that he didn't want to deal with. So the next leader would probably be Georgi.

"Oh! I'm glad to hear that," Guang Hong said cheerfully, but he soon added. "This morning Chris decided to be part of Masumi's clan."

"Oh..." Yuuri didn't know how he was supposed to react to the fact that Chris and they were no longer part of the same clan. Was that a good or bad thing? So he decided to change the subject. "Uhm... You said Chris and Masumi went out ..." He said questioningly, hoping he didn't have to explain the question because the servants could hear them.

"Oh yeah. Masumi has no problems with the crowds." The brunet replied in a low voice, and stopped kneading the flour for a moment to approach Yuuri and murmur. "Masumi says he was only locked for a couple of weeks, he was caught in a moment of distraction. So he knows that not all humans are bad ..."

"I see..." Yuuri wasn't really surprised, because that explained why Masumi didn't behave as scary as the other dragons. "By the way! I have a question. And I hope it doesn't sound weird..." He said with a bit embarrassment, but both dragons turned to him to encourage him to speak.

"You can ask whatever you want, Yuuri-kun." Kenjirou said.

"Do any of you know how to read Kanji? Your names are Asian and, uh... Not that I assume you know Kanji just for that! I-I mean... My name is also Asian, and I don't know how to read them and... "

"I know how to read kanji." Guang Hong interrupted him with a compressive smile.

"Do you need to know the meaning of any?"

"Yes, if you are okay with that... I found a kanji in a book I was reading, but I don't know what it means." Unconsciously, Yuuri looked for paper and ink in the kitchen, although obviously there he wouldn't find it, but then his brown eyes stopped in the flour spread on the table where Guang Hong worked. He approached it and, with a finger, he drew the kanji that he knew must belong to the name of the blue dragon.

The orange dragon looked at the flour with a confused expression for several seconds until he decided to speak.

"Yuuri."

"Eh, yes?" He was startled to hear Guang Hong call him suddenly.

"No, no!" Guang Hong waved his hands with embarrassment. "I mean... The kanji reads 'Yuuri', with two 'u'. If I'm not wrong, that's how your name should be written in kanji."

Yuuri, gaping, looked at the brunet in disbelief, and then at the kanji on the table.

How was that possible? That his name was written in a book dating back more than a thousand years, which was written by one Viktor Nikiforov? A human who belonged to the Roman Empire and was a commemorated warrior who owned a blue dragon called... Yuuri.

Yuuri hadn't finished reading the book yet, since for a couple of months he and Viktor couldn't be able to visited their nest for the fear that soldiers would find them, and Yuuri still needed to get a better Latin dictionary to advance his studies. But he knew that Viktor, the warrior, and Yuuri, the blue dragon, had a very good friendship, to the point that the warrior knew about his transmutation and the dragon gave him his blue scales to improve 'his master' weapons.

The legionary sword encrusted with blue scales that his white dragon treasured, would it be theirs?

"Yuuri-kun, are you okay? You suddenly you became very pale! Do you need water?! Do you need to rest?!" Before Yuuri realized it, he had the red dragon at his side and waved his arm to get his attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kenjirou-kun. I'm fine." Yuuri took off his glasses for a moment and took a deep breath before rubbing his eyes. Processing that much of information, when he still hadn't even had breakfast, made him felt tired.

The only clear thing that Yuuri had at that moment it was the fact that Viktor and he shared names with the Roman warrior and his blue dragon, and that was... a really huge coincidence.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Phichit!" Yuuri exclaimed with joy as he saw the orange dragon sitting in the dining room along with the other inhabitants of the mansion, and walked quickly to him to hug him. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, is it not possible to come to the Capital to say hello to my best friend?" He responded with his typical big animated smile, but this time it was short before Phichit continuing in a low voice, so as not to be heard by the children. "A couple of days ago Isabella warned us about the release of the dragons, and we had to come by to help as much as we could." He said, and separated himself from the dark-haired human and then pointed out to his partner. "Oh, you and Seung-gil already met, right?"

"Yes. Katsuki was very helpful during the night." The black dragon said in his monotonous voice as he bowed cordially, without getting up from his seat.

"Oh yeah. Seung-gil was also a great help." Yuuri human replied with some embarrassment. He didn't know how to act in front of the black dragon because of his flat attitude, but Yuuri suppose that soon he would get used to his poker face.

"Oh, I'm glad to know you two get along so well!" Phichit said clapping. "Seung-gil tends to ignore everyone, but he talks to you!"

"Oh... I'm glad to know that." Yuuri smiled, feeling more relaxed.

"Yuuri! There you are!" Exclaimed Viktor, who hugged him from behind and kissed his left cheek noisily (that's how Yuuri knew that Viktor was acting territorially, because of the large number of people inside the dining room, but he pretended he wasn't doing that). "I missed you." He crooned in his ear.

"Viktor, we were only separated for less than an hour. That's not enough time to miss anyone." Yuuri replied, narrowing his eyes, but taking his boyfriend's hands to caress them, and wondering mentally, for the umpteenth time, why Viktor was so dramatic.

"Yuuri! Why are you so cruel to me?" He whined with watery eyes. Yuuri rolled his eyes and ignored the question, which made the silver-haired man moaned like a puppy. "Phichit, why is Yuuri so cruel to me?"

"It's just that sometimes you're more dramatic than Georgi." Phichit shrugged, while Yuuri and Seung-gil nodded with no intention of adding anything else.

"Uhm. I don't know if I should be offend or not," Viktor said after laughing. "But... if my Yuuri will be that cruel to me... then I won't to give him the surprise I have prepared."

"Yuuri! Don't be so cruel to Viktor or he won't surprise you!" Phichit pretended to admonish him.

"A surprise?" Yuuri repeated, looking at his dragon with confusion. He knew that Viktor liked to give surprises. However, since they started their trip, they hadn't separated for a single moment (only a few minutes when he was in the kitchen). When did Viktor have time to prepare him something? "What is it?" He inquired, leading by his curiosity, but Viktor shook his head.

"No, no! I don't want to spoil the surprise. You'll know it after lunch." He took Yuuri's chin and kissed his lips for several seconds, earning flirtatious whistles from Chris, who was already with Masumi at the table; that Phichit and the children laughed; and Kenjirou, Guang Hong and Yuuri himself blushed from head to toe. At the end, Viktor was reprimanded with screams by Yakov and Yuri.

Even though the dining room was full, lunch time was quiet and somewhat uncomfortable. Makkachin's pleas for food were the only thing that was heard during the first few minutes (even though the puppy already had his own bowl with meat and another one with water). The children of the orphanage decided that they should act in a cautious manner in front of the new tenants. They were afraid to talk to them because the dragons tended to retreat if the children or the servants approached them. It seemed that, with the only humans with whom they felt comfortable, were Yakov and Yuuri.

Trying to animate the heavy atmosphere, Chris, Masumi, Georgi, and Viktor, being the oldest dragons (and Viktor the highest ranked), felt the responsibility of initiating and continuing conversations, encouraging the youngest dragons to speak, which was well received and little by little the atmosphere was lightened.

When the meal was over, a very cheerfully Viktor took his mate by the hand and began to drag him out of the dining room. The poodle running after them.

"Vi-Viktor, wait! What's going on?"

"It's time to give you your surprise! So we'd better get out right now before the sky gets dark."

"Eh?!" Yuuri exclaimed startled, stopping short, and consequently Viktor as well. "Viktor. I don't think it's a good idea for us to go out today. Ye-Yesterday we talked about that it... and... And you're hurt." Yuuri reminded him pointing at his arm, though dodging his blue gaze. However, his dragon continued smiling.

"Yuuri. We will be fine. Chris and his mate were on the streets and say that everything is quiet in the city. A soldier dragon told them that the Militia repaired the damaged buildings during the night so that people wouldn't notice it in the morning. So there's nothing about to fear out there."

Yuuri wide opened his brown eyes and finally looked at his boyfriend. It was the second time that his dragon begged him to went outside, but it was the first time that Viktor said that he wasn't afraid to do it. Viktor's fear of humans seemed to be disappearing little by little. And that thought made Yuuri's heart jump with joy and fill with pride.

However, the dark-haired man still felt uncertainty. Only a few hours ago is when they faced a crowd of angry humans and barely escaped from a horde of hunters. But Yuuri preferred not to be pessimistic and not to quench Viktor's enthusiasm.

"Okay," Yuuri said after giving a long sigh, and a small smile appeared in his mouth. "But promise me we won't to be away for too long, okay? They also need us here at the orphanage."

"I promise! It won't be long," Viktor said, and showed his heart-shaped smile, then picked up Makkachin from the floor and carried him with one arm. "Yakov already knows that we will be out, and he said it was fine as we returned before dinner. I promised to you that I would cook pork cutlet bowl, remember?" He winked and Yuuri giggled as he nodded. "Ah! We can also go to the library for your Latin dictionary."

"Oh! You're right. I had almost forgotten about that." Yuuri said with his cheeks flushed, feeling pleased that his dragon, despite being so forgetful, always remembered things about him.

That made Yuuri also remember about the translation of the kanji. However, that wasn't something they could discuss safely while they were walking around the city, so he decided to keep the subject for when they returned to their room.


	16. The rings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay! I have certain page...umm..., where I upload my doujins and drawings, so I haven't had time to continue to translate the fic as much I would like.
> 
> If you are interested in seeing my art, you can follow me on my social networks! ;D  
> tumblr: rhapeseuhans  
> facebook: rhapeseuhansface  
> 

When Viktor, Yuuri and Makkachin left the orphanage, human and dragon holding hands as usual; the white dragon was the one who led the way, since he had refused to say where they would go.

For safety, the couple didn't talk too much during the trip, merely commenting about curiosities they saw on the streets. But there were moments in which Yuuri could feel Viktor tensing if they walked so close to other people. However, the silver-haired man maintained a calm smile and his blue eyes on his mate, like if as he was too busy looking at Yuuri instead of worry about the people around him.

Upon reaching the center of the Capital, where the largest concentration of people, shops, and the unfinished Cathedral were; Viktor led Yuuri to the foot of the ecclesiastical building, and, right in front of it portal, he left the poodle on the floor and then took his mate's hands.

"Viktor? What are we doing here?" Yuuri asked, confused. "The Cathedral isn't finished yet. I don't think we can enter."

"We're not here for that... Umm... Just let me talk, okay?" Viktor said nervously. And Yuuri looked at him with bewilderment, but he nodded. "Yuuri... There are... There are a lots of things that I would like to tell you, but I'm not sure how to say them... But I do know that meeting you is the best thing that has happened to me. Not only you did save my life, but you healed my wounds and stayed by my side. Since I met you, you have support me and take care of me, as well as try to understand my personality and culture. And I hope I'm doing the same for you." Yuuri, with his eyes twitching and his heart pounding, tried to reply that Viktor really did the same for him, but the dragon kept talking. "What I'm trying to say is..." He paused a moment, seeming to hesitate for a second, perhaps having noticed the curious gaze of other humans who stopped when they understood what they were about to witness; but Viktor decided to continue. "... I'm really happy that you're my boyfriend, my love and life. But that's not enough, I need something else... "

"So-something else?" Yuuri repeated, opening his eyes wide, with some tears already sliding down his cheeks. Months ago he would have panicked, thinking that Viktor would try to break off their relationship, but now, just by seeing his blue eyes full of love, and the trembling but radiant smile that he dedicated to him right now, he could see that the silver-haired man was referring to 'take the next step'.

And, to reaffirm his suspicions, Viktor pulled out a white box from one of his pockets and, before opening it, he put a knee on the pavement. Inside the box were a pair of gold rings, but with a hypnotizing and familiar iridescent shine.

Yuuri put a hand on his mouth. He was barely able to believe what he was seeing. His cheeks were burning, and a mixture of emotions were stirring inside his chest, happiness being the most prominent.

Was Viktor... asking him for marriage, just like it was dictated by human customs?

Viktor wasted no time and slipped one of the rings on his boyfriend's right ring finger before asking the expected question.

"Yuuri. Will you marry me?"

Before answering, Yuuri took the other ring and did the same for Viktor, putting the ring also on his right ring finger.

"Yes! Of course I'll marry you, Viktor!" As soon as he answered, Viktor got up and hugged Yuuri to kiss him repeatedly on the lips. Meanwhile, Makkachin was barking animatedly and wagging his tail after perceived the festive atmosphere.

"Yuuri, my Yuuri! I love you!" Viktor mumbled between kisses and giggles.

"I love you too, Viktor!"

The couple was so distracted and ignoring the world that it took several seconds to them to distinguish the applause and cries of support from a crowd that had gathered around them. Even some women cried, affected by such adorable scene.

"Oh. I had no idea that I could make my mate that happy if I asked her for marriage." Said a man to Viktor, and Yuuri soon understood that he was a transmuted dragon, which his partner must be a human, since Viktor didn't seem bothered by his presence.

Other humans and a few others dragons also came to congratulate them. Viktor, nervous about being surrounded by unknown humans, still smiled and thanked them. In that moment he was so happy that he didn't want to have negative thoughts, meanwhile, an embarrassed and blushed Yuuri thanked them with bowings.

As things calmed down around them, Viktor took Makkachin from the ground and wrapped his hand with Yuuri's before they began to walk in search of the Bookstore.

"Viktor. Where did you get our rings?" Yuuri asked, a little worried as he remembered the new Law. He hoped that Viktor hadn't been impulsive and sold his scales to be able to buy them.

"Oh, you still haven't guessed?" He inquired with a mischievous smile, raising his hand to admire his ring sparkling against the sun's rays. Then he whispered to his fiancé's ear. "Phichit used my scales to forge them."

"Really?!" Yuuri stared at him in disbelief, but felt a pleasant warmth pass through his body to knowing that his dragon had used his own scales to forge theirs rings. "But-but ... they're golden."

"Yes. I think he used some gold to paint them. If they were totally white, people would suspect." He pulled away from Yuuri continue the conversation in a normal tone of voice. "Don't worry. Phichit didn't charge me. He said he was happy to be the one who forged our rings and that they were our wedding gift." He laughed and the scribe smiled.

"But I still don't understand... When did you ask Phichit to craft them?"

"I asked him the day we started our trip, before leaving the Inn. Phichit promised that he would give them to me when he finished them, so he called me at Yakov's office, so you wouldn't see them first." He replied as if it were very obvious, and then Yuuri understood why the orange dragon looked so nervous that day; Phichit was very bad at keeping secrets, surely it was very difficult for him to say nothing about it. "And..." Viktor continued, his cheeks flushed. "Mom Hiroko and Dad Toshiya were the ones who told me how I was supposed to ask you to marry me."

"My parents?!... Oh! That explains why they insisted so much on talking about the wedding. Mom said it would be nice if we got married in the Chapel of my home village."

"Yes, she told me the same thing. In fact..." He stopped walking, and the dark-haired man looked at him curiously after noticed his nervous smile. "Your family is already making preparations to get married before returning to our Town. Unless you want to get married somewhere else! I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first about this. Your family and the Nishigori were so happy to help with the wedding that it seemed like a good idea at that time... "

"Viktor." Yuuri took his fiancé's cheeks and kissed his lips, feeling really lucky that Viktor was trying so hard to follow human's customs. "I will marry you anywhere. Thank you for thinking about including my friends and my family, which will now be yours, Mr. Viktor Katsuki. "

"Oh, Yuuri! I love how my name sounds along with your last name." Viktor sighed, feeling like melting in his human's hands and looking straight into Yuuri's brown eyes with love. "And if I had known that you would be so affectionate to me in public, I would have asked you to marry me months ago."

"Ah..." Yuuri blushed with embarrassment as he realized that. But Viktor was right. The fact of being able to confirm their relationship by means of a physical bond that united them, made Yuuri feel less inhibited to show affection in public (would it be due to the fact that the rings were made with Viktor's scales?). Which seemed a bit ridiculous to Yuuri, but he couldn't help but feel that way.

When they arrived at the bookstore, Yuuri told Viktor to wait outside, as the establishments didn't allow pets. However, the silver-haired man shook his head and immediately went to speak with the receptionist.

"Please?" Viktor said, beating his silver eyelashes, and a flirtatious smile adorning his mouth, at the same time, he was holding Makkachin at his face height to cause tenderness, which made the girl behind the counter to blush. "I promise that my puppy and I will not cause problems."

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes and sighed, remembering that Mila had once told him that Viktor used to persuade humans to do whatever he wanted using his beauty as a weapon, but that was the first time Yuuri had witnessed it. He would later scold his fiancé for his lack of ethics. But at that moment Yuuri realized that, if Viktor made the effort to start a conversation with another human outside of his comfort zone (which was the Inn), it was because he was trying to overcome his fear. So he decided to let it pass for once, and even he ended up laughing when the receptionist, with her face completely red, nodded and let Makkachin to enter the library with the condition that Viktor wouldn't release him.

Before Viktor returned to his side, the receptionist said something else that Yuuri couldn't hear, but the silver-haired man smiled and showed his ring to indicate he wasn't single. The girl lowered her shoulders in defeat. Yuuri hated to admit that seeing that felt good.

"Done! We have permission." Said Viktor with a triumphant smile and a face of feigned innocence. "Let's searching for your dictionary?"

While Yuuri was walking through the shelves in search of the Latin dictionary, Viktor ventured to walk through other corridors to put his reading level into practice while waiting for him. The white dragon read the titles of several books without problems, until he found some titles... not very nice.

"'How to catch a dragon'... 'How to take care of your dragon slave', 'Catalog of dragon scales'..." Viktor muttered with a frown, and the poodle licked his face as he sensed his stress.

"Viktor?" The dark-haired man called him after finding what he was looking for, and hurried to his fiancé to see what made him change his mood so drastically. His heart ached after reading the titles too. "It's okay. Viktor. These books will soon be obsolete. We have nothing to worry about." Yuuri put a hand on Viktor's cheek and pulled his eyes away from the bookshelf.

"Ye-yes, you're right." Viktor tried to smile, but he couldn't, and threw his head on Yuuri's shoulder, looking for pampers and shelter in his mate's sweet aroma. Yuuri had no trouble with that and stroking his hair and kissing his cheeks for several minutes until the dragon felt calmer. "I'm sorry, Yuuri. I didn't want to ruin this day... "

"No, Viktor. Everything is okay. You haven't ruined anything. Also, it is part of our marriage vows to be together in both the good and the worst times." He smiled and kissed his lips playfully, and Viktor finally smiled back. "Come, let's go back to the orphanage to give the good news to everyone about our wedding."

"Yes! You're right! And let's celebrate with pork cutlet bowl!" Exclaimed Viktor cheerfully.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Yuuri! What a big smile you have there!" Phichit commented upon seeing his friends and the puppy returning. "Is there any news you want to tell us?" He said and winked, obviously already knowing the answer.

"Yes! Viktor and I are going to get married." He answered with flushed cheeks, and both raised their rings at the same time.

"Congratulations!" Phichit hugged both at once, and Yuuri thanked him for forging his rings. "You have nothing to thank me for, Yuuri! I would do anything for my friends!"

Chris and Georgi were the next to hug them, Masumi shook theirs hands, Seung-gil bowed; Kenjirou shouted enthusiastically that he would paint them a wedding picture, and Yurio simply slapped them on the back.

"Only you two are so corny as to get married in two different ways." Yurio said with a snort and rolling his eyes. "When the wedding is?"

"In a week!" Viktor replied with a big smile. "It will be in Yuuri's hometown. You're all invited, of course!"

"I asked to be the bestman!" Phichit remembered them while raising an arm.

"I want to be the bestman too." Chris complained, crossed his arms.

"You two can be the bestman!" Yuuri hurriedly said, not sure how much the dragons knew about human weddings, and he didn't want his friends to fight over it.

"Oh! So you already asked him for marriage." They heard a woman say, which some quickly recognized her voice.

"Minako-senpai!" Yuuri said, surprised to see her at the orphanage. Next to her was Yakov, who seemed surprised that the dark-haired man and the woman knew each other. "What are you doing here?"

"The Royal Family called for me a few days ago," She said with a shrug. "Apparently they need us to stop reproducing some books about dragons, or modify the content of others." After saying this, the dragons tensed. "And they asked me to work with Mr. Feltsman so he can advise me about it. But I didn't expect to meet any of you here." Minako raised eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

"Isabella told me about his yesterday. I was going to tell everyone after dinner." Yakov said. "Katsuki, I suppose Miss Okukawa is your Superior, right?" He commented when he remembered that Yuuri was also a Scribe.

"Yes. But Minako-senpai is more like part of my family. I've known her since I was born, and she's my mentor." Yuuri said shyly, and Minako smiled.

"We know her, Yakov. Minako is a very reliable person." Viktor said, and Chris and Phichit nodded.

"Guys, why do I feel like I'm missing something?" The woman asked jokingly but with a somewhat nervous smile, since she could feel the critical look of the other people present in the common room.

"Ah... Minako-senpai, we need to talk... in private." Yuuri suggested, thinking that it was time to tell his mentor about the identity of his fiancé. "Viktor, I think you should go start making dinner." He said, so he can be alone with her, and Viktor nodded before kissed his cheek and wishing him luck.

"You can use my office." The older man offered after sensing the subject, giving them more privacy.

Minako followed Yuuri. And when they arrived at Yakov's office, they sat in the parallel armchairs. The brunette then looked at her protégé curiously.

"Yuuri. What is so important that you think I might be upset with you for not telling me before?" The woman inquired, remembering all the times Yuuri ask to talk with her in private since he was a child.

"Um... Well... I don't know where to start..." He said as he adjusted his spectacles, trying not to tremble because of nerves.

"Let me help you ... Does this have anything to do with the dragon thing? About the Prince's speech?" Yuuri nodded, and Minako sighed. "Viktor is that white dragon, right?" Yuuri opened his eyes wide and looked at her in surprise.

"But how...?" The woman raised a hand to silence him.

"Yuuri. I simply connected the dots. Although I wasn't sure if I was right. But everything makes sense. You said you found Viktor wounded on the road and that's why he has those scars, and a couple of months later there was a rumor about a wounded white dragon who managed to escape from soldiers, and the time coincides with Viktor's arrival in town . Then, yesterday, the Prince gave a very moving speech about dragons, which explains why the Royal Family wants to change the content of the books. Besides, once Viktor told me he was a dragon, but he was so drunk that I thought it was a joke so I didn't think much about it." She said with a stoic expression, which made Yuuri remain calm but tense as he waited to hear her resolution.

"I see... I ... I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." He said, feeling a bit guilt. He really trusted Minako, but he feared too much for Viktor's safety.

"No, Yuuri. I'm not mad at you. Don't worry about me. I understand that you did it to protect your boyfriend." She said with a smile and winked, and Yuuri finally breathed. "By the way. Phichit told me about the wedding, although he said he didn't know when or where it would be because Viktor wasn't sure if Hiroko and Toshiya-san would accept him as your husband." Yuuri was touched to hear that, it seemed that Viktor had everything planned from the beginning. "But I made a quick visit to our village before coming to the Capital, and I must say that it doesn't surprise me at all that your parents speak so well of Viktor. Even Mari approves him. They also said that almost everything is ready for the ceremony."

"Minako-senpai..."

"Uhm? What's going on? Why do you put that sad face?" She questioned frowning. Yuuri was giving too much thought on something in his head and that wasn't a good thing.

"Do you think my parents will accept Viktor when they find out he is a dragon? Should I tell them in the first place?"

Minako sighed in exhaustion, already knowing Yuuri's tendencies for worrying too much, although, in this case, the man had the right to feel paranoid.

"Yes, I think they will accept him." Minako answered without hesitations. "Your parents already love him, and the fact that Viktor is a dragon won't change his opinion about him. Besides, your family already knows your obsession with dragons, so surely they find it funny that your future husband is one of them." She added with a smirk and Yuuri blushed. "I mean, at least I still think that Viktor is a good man... A little stupid, yes. But I can tell he loves you and that's enough for me."

"Minako-senpai! Viktor isn't stupid!" He defended his fiancé while the woman laughed, although the scribe felt much better after hearing her response; he felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. "Viktor is just a little... forgetful."

"Yes, whatever you say." Minako made a gesture of not caring by waving a hand, and then crossed her arms, thoughtful. "The only thing I still don't understand is how it is possible that Viktor is a dragon. He looks very human to me."

Yuuri then went on to tell Minako about the transmutation thing, about the other dragons, and about how the orphanage was more like a den for young dragons, so the scribe woman then understood why the Royal Family wanted her to work together with Yakov Feltsman, the dragons caretaker.

"Wait? You mean that Sexy Chris is also a dragon?!" she asked scandalized.

"Stop calling him that! It's uncomfortable!" Yuuri replied, embarrassed, holding his hands to his face.

"What? First I cannot call him 'Sexy Chris' because he's younger than me, and now I cannot call him 'Sexy Chris' because he's older than me?! Let me live, Yuuri!" She complained with a sigh.

"Yuuri!" Viktor exclaimed entering the office, showing his heart-shaped smile, and going straight to hug his fiancée. "The pork cutlet bowl is ready! Come now to the dining room! Yakov wants to make a toast for us."

"Oh, have we been talking for so long?" The woman commented as she got up to stretch her arms. "Viktor, Hiroko told me she entrusted you with the family recipe of the pork cutlet bowl. Let's hope it will taste delicious or I won't let you marry Yuuri." She said with a very serious face, and the white dragon felt like fainting.

"She's just kidding. Don't pay attention to her." Yuuri assured him at once, stroking Viktor's back as a comfort, as well as he sending a glare to his mentor for trying to scare him.

"Minako, don't make jokes like that!" Viktor said with the face of a scolded puppy, and hugged Yuuri tightly, as if he feared someone would steal him from him.

"Seriously is hard for me to think of you as a dragon..." Minako said with an inquisitive tone and a hand on her chin, looking at Viktor from head to toe, as if trying to find some flaw, so the silver-haired man raised an arm and showed her his scales. "... Okay, I believe you. But I still think you were born with the wrong race." She said mockingly and Viktor pouted, though without really feeling offended. "And don't worry. I know the Katsuki will be happy to have a dragon in the family."

"Thank you ... That means a lot to me." Viktor said with a relieved smile, because, if Minako accepted him, it meant there were many chances that Yuuri's family would accept him too.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After dinner.

"Yuuri, what did you want to talk about?" Viktor asked as they were both in their room, getting ready for bed.

"Ah, yes." Yuuri finished putting on his pajamas and went to bed, leaning against the headboard. "I discovered the name of the blue dragon..."

"Oh!? Really?" Viktor asked cheerfully, and climbed onto the bed, crawl to him and sat at his side. "And what is his name?"

"Um... Well. Guang-Hong told me that the meaning of the kanji is 'Yuuri', just like my name." He replied somewhat hesitantly, not entirely sure if he should trust that translation, but he didn't think the orange dragon was confused or wrong.

"'Yuuri'?" He repeated thoughtfully, with a finger on his chin, and looked at the ceiling for several seconds until a smile appeared on his face. "That's great, don't you think?! If the warrior name was Viktor and he had a dragon named Yuuri, do you know what it means?!" Viktor was so excited that Yuuri had to ask without being able to avoid laughing a little.

"That you and I were destined to be together!" He threw himself on his fiancé and kissed his cheeks before joined theirs lips together. "Or maybe it's just a coincidence. But the first option sounds more romantic." Viktor added after finishing kissing, and stood lying on Yuuri. "Or... maybe we're reincarnations of them." He suggested with a giggle.

"Uh? Don't tell me you would have preferred I was a blue dragon?" Yuuri asked jokingly before yawning.

"Uhm... I must admit that I always believed that my mate would be a dragon. But..." Viktor rose off from him, but instead lay down beside him. "... answering your question, my answer is no. You are my Yuuri; the human who saved my life and whom I am deeply in love, with whom I am eager to marry and spend the rest of my life together. I wouldn't trade you for anyone." He said, proudly observing his engagement ring as he stroked the cheeks of a flushed Yuuri. Then the silver-haired man gave a sigh while wrapping his hand with Yuuri's. "Now I understand why humans like to wear rings so much. It feels so great to be able to use matching accessories, plus I can see you wearing my scales."

"And I like to wear the scales of my white dragon." Yuuri admitted with a shy smile, bringing Viktor's hand to his lips and kissed his ring, causing him to blush. "Ah. Speaking of the wedding. We should tell Mila and the others."

"Right! I almost forgot about them. I'm sure Yurio won't mind going to deliver them their invitations."

"He definitely going to be angry." The dark haired-man warned.

"Yes. But he will do it anyway. After all, Otabek is also invited, and I doubt that Yurio would want another dragon to bring his mate on their back." Viktor replied with a carefree smile.


	17. The conversation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay!
> 
> I'm currently working on a Yuri on ice+Harry Potter setting doujin called "Did you put a love spell on me?!". It's a Viktuuri, obviously. You can found it on my facebook or tumblr! So I haven't had time to continue to write and translate the fic as much I would like :c
> 
> Doujin on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/rhapeseuhansface/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1759440167692384

The following days after the marriage proposal were a little bit busy for everyone. Minako met with Yakov and Georgi to talk and take notes about the customs and behaviors of dragons, and to know how it was that Yakov was helping them to integrate into human society. Although, of course, the woman scribe had to promise that she would only write about the dragons in their natural form and never mention their ability to transmute.

There were times when Viktor and Yuuri met with them to share their personal experiences, however, most of the time they were helping in the kitchen or taking care of the children, and other times they talked with the younger dragons to help them decide what to do, whether to stay in the orphanage or return to the forest.

"Yuuri, don't go! I need you!" Viktor whined and hugged tightly his mate, but Yuuri only laughed as he tried to get rid of him.

"Viktor, don't hold me so tight. You're hurting me." Upon hearing that, the silver-haired man immediately loosened his embrace, fearing to hurting him. The white dragon sometimes forgot how easy it would be for him to hurt his human if he didn't contain his strength.

"I'm sorry…"

"That's okat. I'm fine. But, really, you should let me go." The scribe caught Viktor's cheeks in his hands and kissed him on the lips to assure him he would return. "Viktor, we already talked about this. Yakov needs you here." He said authoritatively, and the dragon grunted with some annoyance at the thought of being apart from his mate even for a few hours.

"But, Yuuri ..." He wanted to argue, but the dark-haired man kissed him again to silence him.

"Viktor, do you remember those books?" Yuuri didn't need to specify what books he was referring to since Viktor understood that he was talking about the horrifying books about taming dragons that they saw in the library days ago. "The Royal Family ordered to remove them. That's why editorial supervisors need to go to the main Editorial to argue that decision. Obviously Minako is on our side, and she asked me to go with her as a spectator and apprentice." Then Yuuri added with a playfully smile. "Be a good husband and stay in the kitchen."

"Uhm... Fine! But I'll only let you go if you kiss me fifty times." Viktor conditioned, holding his loving gaze over a blushing Yuuri, and when they were about to join their lips once more, they were abruptly separated.

"No time for that. We must hurry or the meeting will start without us." Minako said as she pulled Yuuri from the wrist.

"My kisses!" The dragon shouted with watery eyes, and Yuuri said goodbye to him waving his free hand and showing Viktor an apologetic smile.

Minako and Yuuri hurried out of the orphanage to go the main Editorial, leaving behind a disheartened Viktor who wasn't kidding about the fifty kisses. However, he ended up giving a sigh of defeat and headed back to the kitchen.

Viktor then helped Guang Hong and the human servants to cleaning the dining room and kitchen, while Phichit and Seung-gil offered to go out and buy more groceries along with Kenjirou; Masumi encouraged the younger dragons to talk with the children, while Chris went out to sell his merchandise to the commercial area of the citadel. And later, after Viktor and Georgi washed and mended clothes that the children tore after playing (Viktor didn't even remember that he knew how to sew!); the white dragon returned to his room and hugged his poodle while both of them were crying, unable to avoid missing Yuuri.

Viktor knew that Yuuri would return, that he wouldn't abandon him or Makkachin, nor leave them for another human. However, there were times when his fear of loneliness won over logic and it was very difficult for him to get rid of those incoherent thoughts. At least, this time, he was distracted by knocks on his door.

After opening the door, Viktor saw Yakov and his usual face of annoyance; however, the man didn't say anything before turning and walked away. Viktor, with Makkachin still in his arms, follow him (if he were in trouble, the older human would be already screaming at him). They entered Yakov's office, and the man sat on the desk. Viktor took one of the chairs in front of him and sat, leaving the puppy on his lap, which soon settled and begged the dragon for pet him on the back.

"So... you and Katsuki will be legally married within two days."

The silver-haired man then knew that he had to prepare himself for a long talk that he didn't feel like having.

"Yes." Viktor said while nodding, and a smile escaped from his lips as he saw out of the corner of his eye his engagement ring shining against the evening light.

"Which means you're willing to be part of human civilization."

"I suppose." Viktor shrugged. If he had to live with humans for the rest of his life, he would be happy as a long Yuuri were at his side.

"And it must also mean that you already have a plan for the future."

"Yakov..." Viktor frowned, already knowing what his adoptive father wanted to talk about.

"Viktor. I am an old and tired man already, and before I die, I want to make sure that the few dragons that remain would have a safe place in which they can take refuge. Even with the new laws imposed by the Royal Family, it will truly take years before people starts to follow them, and it will take even more years for the hunting of dragons to completely stop. Or maybe that doesn't happen until they are extinct."

"I understand that, Yakov." Viktor said, his face changing to a more serious expression. "And believe me, many dragons are very grateful to you for everything you've done for us, especially me, because despite all the problems I've caused you in the past, you always gave me more second chances. And I can do many things to show you how important you are to me, you who are my second father. But..., everything but That. You know perfectly well that I am not qualified to be the next clan leader." At that, the old man shook his head.

"I differ. I know perfectly well that you are capable of being the next clan leader. Even more if you have Katsuki with you. He is a reliable and responsible boy, and the dragons feel safe around him. Also, he knows how to deal with you. I'm completely sure that you two together could keep the orphanage without problems."

"Hm. I won't deny that." Viktor said with one hand on his chin as he looked at the ceiling, thoughtful. "Yuuri would be an excellent second leader in command at my side, but I couldn't ask him for that." He said while shaking his head. "Yuuri loves his job. I'm not going to ask him to quit his scribe job just to make others happy. I want his happiness."

"But what about you? Are you happy working for Mila?" The man asked incredulously, more out of curiosity than sounding as an accusation.

"Of course." Viktor smiled cheerfully, without having to think much about his answer. "Working in a Inn may not be as important as being a Tax collector or being the Director of an orphanage, but it gives me a lot of peace, and the humans who stay there are usually travelers or merchants who tell very interesting stories and they are pretty friendly. And Yuuri and I are saving to buy our own house, by the way."

"I see." Yakov sighed in disappointment. However, at the same time, he was really happy that Viktor was finally happy.

"I'm sorry." The silver-haired man said with an apologetic smile, but Yakov waved his hand. "What about Georgi? I thought you had contemplated him to be the next leader. "

"Yes, he was my next candidate. But Georgi wants to spend more time with his mate, Anya. She just can't stand seeing humans after seeing how they killed her family, so Georgi doesn't want to have his attention divided between her and the orphanage. He will return to his nest after I die."

"Yakov, don't talk like that! You are the oldest human I know, and you can still walk without problems. You will live many more years! "He commented happily, as if he had said a compliment.

"Every day I feel on the edge of the grave." Yakov replied.

"Well, you better live a few more days or you won't be able to attend my wedding." He said with a smile so radiant that Yakov couldn't help but smile a little too.

"Okay. Either way, talk about this with Katsuki. I'm sure he will appreciate that you don't decide for him. I know you can be a good leader, Viktor. And you can be one without having to deal with the orphanage, because I have a third candidate, but if I didn't mention it before it's because I really wished it was one of my dragons who take charge of the orphanage."

"Oh? Do you mean that this third candidate is a dragon from another clan?" He inquired surprised, and Makkachin, already bored, began to bite his fingers playfully.

"I hope you remember Celestino."

"I think so. Is he the leader of the Cialdini clan, right?"

"Yes. We spoke a while ago, and he said he was interested in taking over the orphanage when I couldn't, and since Isabella is part of his clan, I think it would be an advantage for them to have direct connections with the Royal Family. It sounds like a viable option to me."

"It sounds like an excellent option to me." Viktor assured him with a smile of relief.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Yuuri! My beloved husband! Welcome back!" Viktor exclaimed when he saw Yuuri returned, and Viktor was so distracted hugging him and kissing his cheeks that he didn't notice the group of six people that were with his mate and Minako, until the scribe cleared his throat to call his boyfriend attention "Oh! Hello everyone!" He waved a hand.

"We met them when Minako and I were coming back." Yuuri informed him.

"I'll go and tell Mr. Feltsman about the approval to remove the books from the shelves. Excuse me." Minako said before leaving the group.

"Awww, I'm so happy you're getting married! I love human weddings!" Sara exclaimed with her purple eyes shining, and hugged Viktor to congratulate him. "Yuuri told me that Mila and I can be part of the bridesmaids!"

After Sara, it was Mila, Otabek, Michele and Emil (who weren't wearing their armor) who congratulated Viktor.

"I love weddings too!" Said Emil, who had his hand entwined with his dragon's. "Mickey, will we get married someday?" Michele rolled his eyes.

"Emil, I don't need to put a ring on your finger to know that I chose you as my mate." The purple dragon replied. He didn't tried to sound romantic, but it was enough for Emil to smiled and blushing.

"Oi, Viktor! This favor was your wedding gift, so don't ask me for anything more!" Yurio shouted, referring to the fact that he had to be the one to let others know about the wedding.

"Yuri." Otabek admonished him, though his stoic expression didn't vary. The blond gave a sigh, and ended up slapped Viktor on the shoulder as a kind of congratulation.

"Uh. Mila, now that I think about it," Yuuri said suddenly. "If we're all here, who's in the Inn?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. Some friends of mine offered to take care of the Inn for a few days," She said while waving a hand to dismiss it. "By the way. Viktor. Where is that little dog that Yuuri told me you adopted?"

"Makkachin is in the backyard playing with the children. Doesn't it bother you that he will live in Inn with us, right?" He asked a little embarrassed, but the redhead laughed.

"It's okay! As long as you are the ones who clean and pay for everything he breaks, there will be no problems on my part." She winked, and Yuuri thanked her again with a bow.

"Is dinner ready?" Yurio asked impatiently. "I ran more than six hours from the Town to the Capital carrying these witches when they could very well have transmuted into dragons, but no! They wanted to ride a dragon as if they weren't one already!"

"Hey! Don't call my sister a 'witch'." Michele complained, but Sara laughed.

"Oh, come on, Yurio. It's for gentlemen to prevent a lady from getting fatigued!" Mila said dramatic, placing a hand on her forehead.

"She's right." Otabek stated as he shrugged, and the blond boy growled at the lack of support.

"Dinner will be served in a few minutes." Viktor replied, and told everyone they could go to the dining room already, so they started walking in that direction. "Yuuri... you smell sweeter than usual." He commented as he ran his nose down his mate's neck, and the dark-haired man laughed as he pulling out a couple of paper bags out of his pockets.

"They're for you. I was hoping you wouldn't notice till after dinner, but I forgot about your bloodhound nose." Yuuri said as Viktor inspected first the bag with the delicious and unmistakable aroma.

"Chocolates!" He exclaimed with flushed cheeks, and joined his lips with Yuuri's as a thanks. Then he opened the second bag, and from it, he took out a collar made of cloth with a metal plate with Makkachin's name engraved on it. "Oh! A property collar for Makkachin!" He said in wonder, since now the poodle had something that bind him to them, just as his engagement ring bound him to Yuuri.

"No. Is not a 'property' collar." Yuuri began to explain, having already predicted that Viktor would confuse the concepts because humans tend to 'owns' dragons. "It's an identification collar. In case Makkachin get lost, then other people would be able to return him to us."

"Oh, I get it!" Viktor smiled, feeling even more pleased at that idea. "I think Makkachin would love to use it!"

It turned out that Makkachin didn't like the idea, at least not at first.

After dinner, when Viktor tried to put him the collar on, the puppy, frightened by the strange object that his masters wanted to put around his neck, fled to hide. Yuuri had to ask Phichit to explain to Makkachin what it was about. After that, a little ashamed, the poodle came out from under the bed and allowed them to put on him the collar. Makkachin wagging his tail when he realized the collar wasn't strangled him.

"Viktor, there's something I need to talk with you." Yuuri said as they both prepared to sleep after taking a bath. The next day they would have to leave early to Yuuri's home village to finish making preparations for their wedding, event which both were very excited and nervous about (in a good way).

"Yes?" He asked as he sat on the floor, with Makkachin lying on his crossed legs, and he stroking his brown fur. The dark-haired man took a comb and sat behind him on the bed to begin to untangle his hair.

"Uhm... Today I met Prince Jean-Jacques in person," Yuuri said, and the Viktor startled because he didn't expect to hear that. "The Prince and Isabella attended the meeting with the editors, and I was able to talk with them a bit."

"Really? And what did you talk with them?" He asked with curiosity, and only he didn't turn around to look at Yuuri because he had one hand running through his silver hair while the other used the comb, and that made him felt a bit sleepy.

"First of all, I thanked the prince for saving the love of my life," Yuuri said, and kissed Viktor's crown head, making him blush. Viktor adored when Yuuri didn't act so shy (although he had more fun making a shy Yuuri blush). "And I told them about our wedding. The prince is happy for us and, although they cannot attend because he has other events that urgently need his presence, he said he would make sure everything went well for us. I'm not sure what he meant by that, but ... after my encounter with the prince, the principal editor offered me a job as supervisor."

"Yuuri! That's great! Is it a promotion, right?" He exclaimed so cheerfully that he woke up the puppy, who yawned and went back to sleep after made sure nothing bad happened.

"Yes, but I don't know..." He shrugged. "It makes me think it was a free promotion. But Minako-sensei told me that they had been contemplating me for some time, and that it is more likely that the prince has simply accelerated the process as a kind of apology towards you."

"Yuuri." Viktor took the hand with the comb and turned to look at him. "You are a great Scribe and you deserve that position. All of your coworkers admire you and some of them even envy you." At that, Yuuri laughed.

"Viktor, those who envy me are because they cannot believe that someone as handsome as you is my fiancé."

"Oh! I'm flattered. But this is not about me, it's about you." He smirked. "I hope you accepted that position. I want to be able to show off to everyone how smart my husband is with proofs."

"Uh, thanks. But I haven't accept it yet... " He said blushing. "There is a small problem with the conditions..." Viktor looked attentively at him to encourage him to speak. "We would have to live here, in the Capital, because my position is for the main Editorial. And I know that you... you don't really like this place."

"Oh, Yuuri..." He said, touched that his partner thought of him first, but at the same time that made him felt a little guilty. "Yes, it is true that I don't like places full of humans, and that if we could live in our nest, away from everyone, I would do it without hesitation, but ... I don't want to drag you into solitude with me. I'm don't want to live with fear anymore. Therefore, if you decide to take that job, I will totally support you. "He said, and kissed the hands that he adored, and Yuuri's chocolate eyes shone with pride at hearing him speak like that. "And... well, I also have something to tell you." Viktor then told him about what he had talked with Yakov a few hours ago.

"Oh? You mean you'll be the next Feltsman clan leader?" Yuuri asked with surprise.

"It's... a possibility." Viktor replied nervously. "Georgi didn't want the position because he wants to take care of his mate. And since we were young, Chris made it very clear that he wasn't interested in being the next leader, besides that he belongs to Masumi's clan now. So ... the next option is me. The advantage is that I wouldn't have to worry about the orphanage."

"Viktor, you've always been Yakov's first choice," Yuuri assured him while caressing one of his cheeks with affection. "Tell me, what exactly does a clan leader do?" Yuuri already knew, but he needed to prove a point.

"Uhm... The leader is the one who protects and watches over the safety of all of his clan, and he is the one who teaches the younger dragons to hunt and collect their own food and to fend for themselves if their parents can't teach them. And he is the one who makes the important decisions... "

"Well, I know you can do all that. I believe in you."

"Yuuri, I appreciate your blind faith. But if I couldn't even protect myself from those soldiers, how can I protect others?" He asked, his blue orbs threatening to shed tears of sheer frustration.

"Of course you can protect others, Viktor." He contradicted after kissing his forehead. "When you realized that Yurio was in danger, you decided to protect him. If it weren't for you, he would have been hurt, or worse... "

"I know. I'm glad that Yurio is fine... But that doesn't take away from the fact that I almost died for trying." He murmured with his eyes lost in the floor.

"But you didn't die because the prince protected you, and you lived long enough for me to found you and protected you. Only just a few days ago, you also protected a group of dragons, and thanks to that, now they are free. Protecting someone doesn't always mean avoiding harm, but being there to support them when they most need help." Hearing those words, the silver-haired man smiled as he remembered how frightened Yuuri was the first time he encountered Yurio.

Even though the human was trembling with fear, he stayed there to try to protect the wounded white dragon from a possible threat.

"You should be the leader, Yuuri. Dragons adore you, even Yurio doesn't scream at you at all." Viktor said and the dark-haired man laughed.

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't be good for that. My biggest flaw is that I only care about you. But I promise that I will help you as much as I can if you decide to be the next leader. So I would be able to show off with evidence that my husband is a great leader." Yuuri repeated almost the same words as him, and Viktor's cheeks painted pink and his heart beat harder.

Viktor got up from the floor and put Makkachin on the bed before joining his lips with Yuuri's in a long, sweet kiss. When it was over, they both smiled at each other.

"I'll think about it."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The next day, after having breakfast early in the dining room, they prepared to leave the Capital. Georgi, Guang Hong and Masumi stayed at the orphanage to take care of the children and the younger dragons.

When the group was far enough from the citadel, Viktor and Yurio transmuted into dragons, leaving Minako open-mouthed. Yuuri for a brief moment feared that Makkachin would be afraid of Viktor's real appearance, but the puppy approached his claws and smelled him. After making sure it was the silver-haired man, he wagged his tail. And before everyone climbed on his back, the white dragon licked the face of his human.

Yurio carried Otabek, Yakov, Kenjirou, and the girls on his back; while Viktor had the the rest and their travel bags. Being only two dragons didn't run so much risk of being seen, and if in case some needed help, the reinforcements already came with them.

"Yuuri, I'm glad to finally be behind you." Chris said hugging Yuuri, who jumped, scaring the poodle, and blushed with embarrassment. Viktor growled, which made the blond release the scribe immediately while laughing.

"You can hug me, Sexy Chris." Minako said, playing along, and the green dragon hugged her instead.

"Wow, Chris. Not only a week ago that you have a mate and you're already an adulterer." Phichit joked.

"Oh, it's okay. Masumi doesn't mind." Chris replied without giving too much importance at the issue. "He also likes to have fun with other humans... and dragons." He winked at the orange dragon, and Seung-gil rolled his eyes, and he would be bothered with Chris for flirt with his mate but he already knew how he was.

Viktor was the first one to reach the village, and before transmuting into human, he licked his fiancé's face again. After twenty minutes of waiting, Yurio arrived with the others.

Upon entering the village and touring it for a while, Yuuko, who was collecting fruit, noticed them and welcomed them.

"Yuuri-chan, I'm so excited for your wedding!" Yuuko exclaimed as she hugged him, and then hugged Viktor. "Oh, and I see you brought more guests." She commented after noticed the whole group, and Yuuri introduced them. "Aww, I'm glad you found such good friends, Yuuri-chan." She said to him in privately before she go back to work. "I hope they appreciate what the kids in this village couldn't appreciate about you." Yuuko knew that's was one of the many reasons why Yuuri moved. He didn't had any friends other than her and her husband.

"Yes, I found very good friends." He affirmed with a smile.

"By the way. Do you remember those girls who used to make fun of you when we were kids?" Yuuri nodded. "Don't look, but right now they're looking at you with envy for having such a sexy boyfriend." She giggled, and Yuuri did just the opposite, he looked at fruit store and saw a group of three girls who looked back at him with envious glances.

"Yuuri, the love of my life. Come here! I need to hug you or I will die!" Viktor yelled at him to hurry up and meet the group again. Yuuri laughed, and returned with his fiancé to a welcome warm hug and kisses on the cheek. Apparently, Viktor had also noticed the looks.

Before introducing his new friends to his family, Yuuri thought that it would be the best to talk to them first in private, so he led the group to the village inn, where they would stay until the wedding were over. Minako, Viktor and Yuuri then went to his parents' house.

After formal congratulations from his family, introduce Makkachin, and Viktor to show off his engagement ring; Yuuri, quite nervous, asked his parents and his sister to meet in the dining room to talk.

"What is it that Viktor and you have to tell us about, Yuuri?" Toshiya inquired with some impatience after noticing the couple being so nervous. Even Minako was a little uneasy about their possible reaction.

"Uhm... Well ... Is... Viktor and I... eh... There's something..." The dark-haired man didn't know how to continue, and Viktor, who until that moment had an arm surrounding Yuuri's waist in a protective manner, decided to finish quickly with the tension and he rose up from the floor to show the white scales on his arms and a scaled version of his dragon wings.

The Katsuki family, wide eyes and astonished at that vision, didn't say anything for several seconds. Then Mari talked.

"That explains a lot of things. Yuuri has always loved dragons." The girl said, trying not to laugh, and Yuuri was extremely relieved that his sister took that in a good way. After more seconds of stupefaction, Hiroko and Toshiya finally reacted.

"Vicchan is... a dragon?" His mother inquired with surprise, and quickly added. "Yuuri! Why you didn't tell us before?! Is there anything special that dragons do during their wedding?! We could have integrated it into the preparations!" She exclaimed with her hands on her cheeks, thinking horrified that the wedding would be a disaster.

"It's okay, darling. The wedding is tomorrow at sunset." Toshiya said while caressing his wife's shoulders. "I'm sure we will have time to add some decorates."

Yuuri looked at Viktor, who was looking back at him with the same confusion, and then he looked at Minako, who shrugged and gave a tired sigh.

"I forgot how carefree your parents are about some things," The woman scribe crossed her arms and showed a smile. "At least they know what their priorities are."

"Ahm... You don't have to do anything else. I'm sure everything will be perfect." Yuuri said to his parents, still a little confused by their calm reaction (but feeling happy that they didn't reject Viktor). "Dragons don't do marriage ceremonies."

"Yuuri is already my husband." Viktor explained proudly and hugged Yuuri. "You could say that we got married from the moment he accepted me as his mate. But we agreed that a 'human wedding' would be very romantic, besides that I will legally be a Katsuki." Yuuri blushed and hugged him back.

"Oh, I see. That's wonderful!" Hiroko smiled brightly. "So... Vicchan, how did a dragon like you noticed my boy?" She inquired, already imagining that the couple had had to lie to protect Viktor's identity, although she and her husband were surprised to learn that the version real didn't differ so much from the first one. "Oh, we're so sorry, Vicchan. No dragon should go through something like that. Not all humans are that way." She said sad, wiping some tears with a cloth napkin.

"You can count on us. We will never reveal your identity. Vicchan is now part of our family, and therefore, it is also our duty to protect him." Toshiya said with determination, and Mari nodded.

Viktor thanked his in-laws and his sister-in-law rising from the table to embrace them, and they welcomed him with open arms.


	18. The wedding [First epilogue]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Just to let you know that this chapter will be shorter than the previous ones and that this isn't the end yet even if it comes out as complete. It is only the first epilogue of three ;D
> 
> Enjoy the wedding!

The wedding day, as humans customs said, Viktor and Yuuri needed to be separated after breakfast so as not to be seen each other during the preparation process. Needless to say, it was difficult for those present to have to separate Viktor from his mate, and even more so when they had to remove their rings to be returned later, during the ceremony (they decided to use the same rings as wedding rings).

"Don't be a weeping cub, Viktor." Chris complained as he pulled his friend's arm, which was screaming and trying to get back into the arms of his fiancé, which he also was led away by his mother and Yuuko to another room. "Let his family help him to put on his wedding clothes, okay? Don't you want Yuuri to look spectacular and handsome for you in front of the altar?"

Upon hearing that, Viktor sighed in resignation and stopped fighting. Toshiya then went on to explain him how he should wear his own wedding clothes. It was a white garment that Viktor had recognized as a kind of kimono (a shira-something?) but that looked more formal.

As Hiroko had explained him, the shiramuko's white color represented the purity of a woman, but the Katsuki though that Viktor, because of his delicate features, would look better wearing that color while Yuuri wore the black kimono. Viktor agreed with them without problems (his scales were white, anyway).

After a long wait, in which Viktor ended up bothering Chris and Yurio because he kept talking about Yuuri, and Phichit having to put up with his friend wondering loudly if his fiancé would run away and leave him standing at the altar (Mari was tempted to slap her brother several times to made him come to his senses); the time for the guests to gather inside the chapel came, with Yuuko's daughters scattering the flower petals all over the carpet.

Yuuri was the first to enter, taken from the arm by his father, and Viktor entered later, handed over by Yakov.

Viktor and the other dragons didn't exactly understand what was happening, but the Katsuki family, the Nishigori family and Minako seemed about to cried, even Yakov was also moved (although Kenjirou cried and blew his nose while drawing something on a canvas). However, seeing Yuuri in front of him, with his hair brushed back and proudly wearing his black wedding kimono with a radiant smile that shone as brightly as the sun itself, it made Viktor's blue eyes also moisten a little, threatening to shed tears of happiness.

Yuuri couldn't help but chuckled when Yurio was the one in charge of returning their rings. The blond boy glared at them and made a threatening gesture, but then he smiled.

The couple then exchanged rings for the second time, but with no less conviction than the first time, and shared a chaste kiss before hugging each other and swearing with silent caresses that they would always take care of each other.

"Until death tears us apart?" Viktor repeated in a low voice in disbelief after the pastor, though with a mocking smile showing through his mouth. "I'm sorry, Yuuri. But I intend to follow you even after death."

"Same thing." He kissed his now-husband and smiled affectionately, then added. "You won't get rid of me so easily, Viktor." Yuuri replied with his same humor and squeezing his hands tightly.

"Don't worry. I wouldn't dream of it." Releasing one of his hands, Viktor stroked one of his husband's cheek, while both of them looked straight into each other's eyes with all the love they had and completely forgot about the people around them.

The day after the wedding banquet, (banquet in which Yuuri allowed himself to drink too much, ending up with him and Viktor, and Chris, practically dancing naked on a table); the couple returned to their nest to have more privacy. They leave Makkachin (and the beautiful wedding paint that Kenjirou made for them) with Mila to take him to the Inn with her.

The time the couple spent in their nest, in addition to taking advantage of the intimacy, they also used it to talk about what they had decided to do for their future. After much consideration, Yuuri decided to accept the supervisor job, while Viktor, who was still unsure he wanted to be the next leader of the Feltsman Clan, still promised that he would let Yakov instruct him, and, when he felt ready, he would decide if he would do it or not.

When they returned to the Inn it was to say goodbye to Mila and Sara and the others, and to collect their belongings and Makkachin, since they would had to move to the orphanage for a while until they could bought a house of their own.

The first weeks in the Capital weren't easy either for Yuuri or for Viktor. The dark-haired man had difficulties to guide the workers under his command (although his superiors assured him that he was doing it well), without mentioning the fact that Yuuri also needed to learn the Printing process, since the Main Editorial was on a large scale. Scribes were most needed it for artisanal or limited editions; he also had to continue with his studies of Latin.

On the other side, Viktor had to work in the orphanage, and accompany Yakov everywhere to learning the map of the citadel and meet all the dragons who lived there to learned to form alliances. In addition to that, the older human made him learned the prices of various products and the different costs in each grocery store so as not to waste money (so the younger dragons didn't have to resort to selling their scales). At least Yakov allowed him to take Makkachin with him, if not; the silver-haired man wouldn't even dare to step on the streets.

When the couple had free time, they returned to their nest with their puppy to rest from the stress of the city and have more privacy.

However, few months later things improved for them, when they finally managed to buy their own house, which was close to the orphanage. In addition, over time, Yuuri began to feel more at ease in his new job, and Viktor was less and less afraid to go out and walk the streets with only Makkachin with him.

A couple of years later, when the orphanage it ended up to the Cialdini Clan, Viktor opened his own Canteen where humans and dragons could coexist. Chris and Yurio worked for him as a supplier of products and waiter, respectively, while other younger dragons helped with cleaning (or Viktor and Yakov helped them find other jobs more in line with their abilities).

Even if the Dragonhunt was over, there were times when bad news and rumors about slaughtered dragons and illegal sale of scales it would be listened in the markets. Sometimes, soldiers managed to catch the hunters and do justice, but that didn't prevent other dragons to evaded of at all costs human society, or other humans to continue to ask for the Dragonhunt to become legal again. But King Jean-Jacques and Queen Isabella did their best to avoid more unnecessary deaths.

Although Yakov continued being the leader of Clan Feltsman, little by little, the clan began to be called the "Clan Katsuki" (which made Viktor secretly happy) by dragons that were adding to the clan, and later it ended up being called thus completely after the peaceful death of Yakov.

Georgi did as promised and returned to his nest with his mate Anya, but from time to time, he returned to the citadel to visit his friends. Kenjirou decided to be scribe like Yuuri, but focusing more on illustration. Masumi stayed in the orphanage along with Guang Hong and his partner Leo, although the bard would rather hang around the Capital to sing his songs and recite his poems about 'Dragons and Humans living together in harmony and peace'. Human children especially loved the legend about the Warrior who sacrificed his life to save his Dragon in the form of a human, thinking that they were only fantasies. And Chris settled in the Capital to help the white dragon with his establishment and to be with his mate.

Otabek was transferred back to the Capital. Although he had to live in the barracks, he could spend more time with Yurio, especially when he went to the canteen. Mila and Sara continued to take charge of their Inn, while Michele and Emil also celebrated their 'human wedding'. Surprisingly, Michele was the one who asked for Emil's hand and not the other way around.

Makkachin stopped being a puppy and grew so much that he could even knock down Yuuri with loving attacks. And Viktor became the Leader of the Katsuki Clan.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Five years later, while the couple was inside their nest doing nothing in particular but embrace and enjoy the warmth of their bodies, Yuuri suddenly remembered that he still had a pending issue.

"Mmh? Is something wrong, Yuuri?" Asked the silver-haired man in a sleepy voice as he felt his mate tensed in his arms. Makkachin raised his head and looked at them with curiously.

"Uh, the book ..." Yuuri answered as he sat down and leaned against the nest, looking for his spectacles that he used to leave nearby so as not to lose them. Viktor looked at him doubtfully for a few seconds because he didn't immediately understood what he was referring to. "... About the blue dragon." He clarified, and his dragon's blue eyes gleamed and a big heart-shaped smile appeared in his mouth.

"Oh! How could we have forgotten that for so long?! "Viktor got up from the nest and ran to look for the book on the bookshelf that belonged to his parents. When he found it, he took it carefully and removed the dust from the cover. Then he returned to snuggled with Yuuri and handed the book to him. "Here. With your current level of Latin, you should be able to read it without problems, right?" He inquired cheerfully, and Yuuri kissed him on the cheek.

Makkachin settled himself between them again and yawned before falling asleep.

"Thank you. And yes, I hope so." Yuuri smiled, adjusted his spectacles, and began to read the book aloud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next chapter! ;D


	19. The blue dragon (1/2) [Second epilogue]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri reads the diary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Second epilogue here! But the chapter was much longer than I had planned, so I decided to divide it in two parts. Enjoy the first part! : D
> 
> Warning: Mention of slavery, violence, and injuries.

Viktor Nikiforov couldn't believe his eyes. For a moment, he thought about rubbing them to clear that illusion, but he was too distracted as to carry out that action.

Although he was used to seeing and coexist with dragons, but that was actually the first time he had seen a blue one...

"It is believed to be the last blue dragon that exists." Phichit, the dragon keeper, commented, noticing the perplexed look of the centurion. "They have tried to tame him so many times, but each one of his previous owners grew tired of him and his rebelliousness, so they..." With some grief, he pointed out to the very visible wounds that the blue dragon had printed over his body, which were not wounds war. "If they didn't killed him, it is because they have done a good business reselling him in the markets. But he ended up here because nobody wanted to buy him anymore because of his appearance..." He didn't even needed to finished the sentence, it was obvious what he meant.

The warrior's gaze traveled over the blue scales that were darker than his own eyes. The dragon, inside a wooden cage and chained, had numerous wounds that differ in appearance one from another. Some old scars, some new cuts; some small cuts and other longer ones, and some portion of his legs and thighs lacked of scales. In addition, his posture was too tense even while he was sleeping.

Viktor put a hand to his silver hair and gave an annoyed sigh. He felt sick. But not because of the sad vision itself, but to knowing that there were humans so cruel who were capable of doing something so nefarious against a creature as beautiful as a dragon.

Viktor hated war, but he had no choice but to participate if he wanted dragons to stop being used as war tools. That was the reason that he had become a Legionary and tried to climb ranks to get political influence on society.

However, by being part of the Heavy Cavalry and becoming a centurion, they forced him to have a dragon under his command, just the opposite of his personal ideals.

Apparently, he was one of the few humans who knew how adorable dragons could be if they were treated with respect. When Viktor was a boy, his father had been a respected Roman officer who possessed a white dragon with whom he was able to sweeping up the entire battlefield without problems, same white dragon with whom a little Viktor used to play and 'talk' with (he talked while the dragon seemed to listened him).

Unfortunately, Viktor was still very young at the time and he could no longer remember the dragon's name. In addition, the dragon disappeared as soon as his father died during a confrontation near the Capital. According to official sources, his father bled to death after having carried someone on his back, possibly a civilian who also was wounded during the battle.

Viktor was shattered at the news. Not only was his father had died, but his best friend was missing. They left him alone in such a cruel world... However, a month later, a young man named Yakov adopted him with the excuse of being 'an old friend of his father and owed him a favor'. That man always had seemed familiar to him, although he knew he had never seen him before, and, for some reason, it didn't take Viktor too long to consider him as his second father.

"I haven't visited his grave in a long time..." He thought to himself as he continued to observe the blue dragon carefully. Although Yakov had looked young, he tended to act like a grumpy old man. He even had died peacefully in his bed for apparently no reason other than 'natural causes', according to doctors.

Suddenly, Viktor's thoughts were interrupted when the blue dragon opened his eyes and looked directly at the warrior's ones.

Viktor was instantly in shook, and felt a strong jolt from the tips of his toes to his head. The emotions that showed through the brown eyes were a strange mixture between determination, fear and sadness. Although, by the position of his legs, the dragon seemed to challenge the warrior to make a wrong move to give him a reason to defend himself. However, the cuts scattered around the dragon's eyes and eyelids, which seemed made on purposeful, distracted the silver-haired man.

"What happened to his eyes?" Viktor inquired as calmly as he could muster, but he felt his blood burn with rage.

"I'm not sure." Phichit shrugged. "But I guess the hunters tried to temporarily blinded him so they wouldn't got hit by his Ice breath, so they were able to catch him more easily." The warrior just nodded. After an uncomfortable silence, Phichit added, "We have some other dragons that might be of interest to you, Mr. Nikiforov." He said and gestured to some other direction that Viktor didn't even look at.

"No, that's fine. I have already made my decision. I want the blue dragon." He said with a faint but genuine smile, causing both Phichit and the dragon to look at him with surprise.

"Eh?!" Phichit looked at the dragon for a few seconds and then returned his gray eyes to Viktor, trying not to be worried. "Mr. Nikiforov, don't take offense but you have never had a dragon under your command, and I don't think Yuuri is the right dragon with which you can learn those Commands. It could be dangerous. Also, I think he is totally blind... "

"Yuuri? Is that his name?" Viktor asked as he took slow steps towards the cage. Phichit tried to stop him, though not daring to touch him, but gave up after hearing the following sentence. "And it's okay. I don't intend to use Yuuri in battle. Maybe my superiors can force me to get a dragon, but they cannot force me to ride it."

"Oh?" Phichit didn't know how to react to that. Viktor Nikiforov was a famous and beloved warrior, and, obviously, the sight of a centurion riding a dragon would raise the morale of the army and his people. So, that was hard to believe for him. "Even so ..." He sighed, looking for some other excuse. "Yuuri doesn't like humans."

"Well. We already have something in common." He laughed without mocking intent and stopped in front of the cage. "Hi, Yuuri!" He waved a hand in the air, now directing all his attention to the dragon that had backed up to stick to the bars. "My name is Viktor. Can we be friends?"

The blue dragon, with caution and little by little, decided to extend his neck and bring his nose to the human through the bars. It tickled Viktor the warm breath on his neck and giggled. Even though the blue dragon had his jaws attached with a rope, his muzzle had enough space to slide his tongue out and licked the warrior's face.

"Oh, I think he likes me!" Viktor exclaimed with bright eyes, and reached into the cage to pet Yuuri's cheeks, who soon made a sound like a purr.

Phichit let out a sigh of relief that he didn't know he was holding back.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After Viktor made the necessary arrangements to register Yuuri as his property, and to avoid him to being marked with a hot iron because it wasn't necessary (there were no other blue dragons to confuse him!); a group of dragon keepers helped him to take Yuuri to the the military camp's stable, where dragons of other high-ranking legionaries were kept.

To the dragon keepers' surprise (whom knew about the blue dragon bad behaved), Yuuri followed Viktor without causing problems.

However, the heart of the Roman warrior was shattered as he stepped inside the stable and saw how careless and decadent the interior was, not to mention that the dragons that were already there were chained and against the ground, looking more dead than alive.

Viktor immediately knew that he didn't want to leave his dragon in that place. But he had no choice but to do so, since he didn't have a home of his own other than the barracks. When Yuuri was put into a new cage and were chained again, Viktor closed the door and stayed inside with him, very much in spite of the keepers' warnings. But the silver-haired man cared little for their paranoia, and instead asked them to bring something to eat for his dragon, plus a rag and a bowl of water to clean his scales.

While diligently cleaning the blue scales, with his hands caressing them slowly and making sure not to hurt Yuuri, he could feel with joy how his dragon relaxed under his fingers and purred again, pleased. And by the time the food was brought to them, it was leftovers and rotten meat. Viktor had no qualms about admonishing the dragon keepers and demanding for food in good condition.

As the days passed, Viktor visited his dragon practically every day to 'talk' with him, or to lean against his legs while reading a book or writing his war diary. In addition, he always made sure that the keepers did not abuse Yuuri, and reported anyone that he suspected was hurting the dragons, because Viktor once arrived in time to prevent that one of the keepers from hitting a dragon with a club just because he thought it was fun to do so. Not to mention that Yuuri used to react more aggressively with certain humans.

Viktor knew that his superiors were waited patiently to see him and Yuur together during training. But the silver-haired man insisted that, if the stable were in better conditions, his dragon could recover from his wounds faster. And if they tried to press him to get another dragon, he could easily switch to another Faction that was more suited to his needs. That was enough to make his superiors to leave him alone for a few more days.

Originally, he didn't think to use the blue dragon in battle. However, Viktor realized that Yuuri's Ice breath could be a huge tactical advantage and that they could freeze their opponents without the need to fight them directly. One day he told Yuuri that idea, because he knew that dragons could understand human language in some way; and received a lick in the face as a positive response. So, after making sure that the blue dragon was fully recovered from the injuries inflicted by his last owner, he took Yuuri to the training camp to learn how to ride.

"Yuuri, is it okay if I climb your back?" He asked for his permission as he stroked one of his cheeks, and the blue dragon responded by lying down on the ground to allow him access. Then Viktor put on him the harnesses, making sure not to squeeze them too much.

When the warrior learned to ride his dragon without falling in the attempt, and sustain a decent fight with long-range spears against his battalion companions and their dragons, he helped his dragon train his Ice breath by pointing towards static objects and then moving ones. Yuuri tended to fail if the objects moved faster, so Viktor could only conclude that the hunters had really damaged his sight. Viktor then decided that their best tactic would be to fight on a terrestrial level and never in the air.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"If you treat girls as the same way you treat your blue dragon, I assure you wouldn't be so lonely." Chris joked as they drank wine in a tavern along with their battalion companions. Viktor rolled his eyes and drank from his own glass.

"At least Yuuri listens to me and doesn't try to force me to sleep with him." He replied laughing.

"Viktor. Yuuri is a dragon. It's not like he could ask you to shut up."

"You're just jealous because my dragon loves me while yours ignores you."

"Well, I'm not going to deny that." The blond man shrugged and drank wine. "But I must say that I'm more interested in finding a nice company for the cold nights than worrying about what a giant lizard thinks of me."

If it had been anyone else who made such a disparaging comment, Viktor would have been upset and ended that conversation. However, he knew Chris Giacometti since they were children and he knew he said it in a joking tone. Chris was one of the few people with whom he agreed that dragons deserved to be free.

"But seriously..." Chris continued. "Viktor, you know that your admirers consider you as the reincarnation of the Greek god Eros himself, right? So, when are you going to look for your own Psyche?"

"Chris, you know I don't believe in the Gods." He replied and squinting, asking the shopkeeper for more wine. "Also, the story of Eros and Psyche is pretty boring and very idiotic; a possessive and overprotective lover who kidnaps his partner to 'protect' her and punish her for being curious to know more about his true self. They didn't even talked to each other. What kind of relationship is that?"

"At least they had sex every night." Chris added with a serious face, and they both ended up laughing.

"Well, if I had to choose a love story..." Viktor put a finger to his lower lip, looking at the ceiling as he thought. "Ah! 'Orpheus and Eurydice'. That's a true love story!"

"Is not that story in which one of the spouses dies and the other goes down to the underworld to look for her soul?"

"That story!" Viktor exclaimed excited. "Orpheus, with his lyre and beautiful voice, made all the mortals in his path to fell in love with him, but from whom he fell in love with it was the sweet and modest Nymph Eurydice, who danced for him and was his constant source of inspiration. Even the Gods supported their wedding... until their happiness was truncated by the bite of a snake."

"And Eurydice doesn't come back to life in spite of everything her husband did for trying to revive her..."

"Yes, she doesn't revive. But Orpheus's love for her was so great that he followed her even after her death." He replied with a somewhat shy smile.

"You will die a virgin ..."

"Chris, you know I'm not a virgin."

"You haven't had sex in years. You're practically a virgin again."

"I'm waiting for the right person."

"My legs are open for you, Viktor." He said and winked.

"I won't have sex with you, Chris."

"At least I tried." He laughed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Something that Viktor definitely didn't expect to happen after acquiring a dragon was that he began to be even more respected than before. Especially since the 'the great Viktor Nikiforov' had managed to tame the blue dragon that nobody else could. The silver-haired man tried to explain so many times that the only thing he did was to be friendly with him, but people used to think that the warrior only tried to be humble and keep the secret. Since how was it possible for dragons to be friendly?

After some battles, in which Viktor and Yuuri participated together, leaving both with a few wounds thanks to the fact that the Ice breath also served as a good shield (even against the green flames of black dragons); Viktor was able to scale more ranks within of the Legion and get more privileges. Like more food rations for his dragon and be able to remove him the chains while he was inside the camps. It had become obvious to all that Yuuri was a tame and shy dragon, as a long as nobody bothered him.

Everything seemed to be going well for the centurion and his dragon. Their evasive and defensive tactics were quite effective in the battlefield. And Yuuri had allowed his master to take some of his scales to cover the handle of his short sword and armor for extra protection. Viktor was well known for not assassinate his adversaries, but to leave them incapacities for war when damaging their hands or legs. The few times that he had to end the life of someone, it was to protect his comrades or his dragon.

However, during a particularly chaotic battle, the arrow of a ballista wounded Viktor. The arrow didn't pierce his armor thanks to the blue scales, but the impact was enough to pull him from the back of his dragon and make him fall to the ground.

The last thing Viktor remembered seeing after striking his head it was Yuuri's jaws opening.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

By the time Viktor was able to open his eyes, the first thing he saw was Chris giving a sigh of relief.

"Chris?" He inquired confused. As he looked around, he realized that he was in his own tent and on his own bed. He wasn't wearing his armor, but instead wore a woolen tunic. It was night and the only lighting was a pair of oil lamps lit.

"Good. You're awake. You had us worried, Viktor. You sleep for three days in a row. Doctors were afraid you would never wake up because of the contusion."

"What...?" Viktor run a hand to his hair and could feel a painful swelling behind his ear. "What happened to the battle? Where is Yuuri?"

"Don't worry. We won. And Yuuri... uh. "

Seeing that the blond man hesitated to speak, Viktor felt on the verge of panicking. Had it happened something to his dragon?!

"Chris, where's Yuuri?" He repeated with a frown, trying not to lose his composure.

"Nobody knows ..." Chris at least had the decency to look sad when he said it, and before Viktor asked what he meant by that, he continued. "You're lucky. Your dragon protected you by carrying you on his muzzle and brought you back to the camp. After that, he flew away and nobody has seen it again."

"Oh..." Viktor looked down at his hands, not knowing what to think. His blue eyes had the desire to cry, but he restrained himself from doing it in front of Chris.

Viktor suddenly felt very lonely and abandoned. At least he knew that his dragon liked him so much that, instead of taking advantage of his master's unconsciousness to escape and let him die (as the white dragon did to his father), instead, he did what he could to keep him alive. In spite of how betrayed he felt, Viktor couldn't blame the blue dragon for fled. He just hoped Yuuri would be fine and he wouldn't be captured again.

"I will tell the doctor that you have already awakened to come and check you."

"No, please." The silver-haired man shook his head slightly to keep from getting dizzy. "I just want to sleep. Thank you for visiting me, my friend." He said with a forced but grateful smile.

"Okay. Tomorrow I will come to visit you again. I'm glad you're fine, my friend." Chris said, and before leaving the room, he slapped him on the shoulder, noting with grief how badly Viktor had received the news about the disappearance of his dragon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **The legend of the warrior and the dragon:** Yep, from the beginning it was never my intention to make Viktor and Yuuri the warrior and the dragon from the legend. The readers simply assumed it, so when someone told me "they are the ones from the legend!", I was like "eh... eh... sure" for not spoiling anything :'D  
>  In the Spanish version of the fic (on wattpad), a lot of my readers actually made crazy theories about the legend xD
> 
> EDIT: Viktor's dad and Yakov are the warrior and the dragon from the legend, not Viktor and Yuuri.
> 
> **Eros and Psyche:** It's a love story of the Greek/Roman Mythology between the God Eros/Cupid and Psyche. Viktor summed it up the story, but I encourage you to look it up on the Internet so you wouldn't be stuck with my own impression of the myth.
> 
> **Orpheus and Eurydice:** It's also a Greek love story but ending up in tragedy. It's my favorite story since I was little, so that's why I made Viktor like it, as well as it fits very well with concept of the fic about 'eternal love'.  
>  Curiously, there is a version where the god Eros, moved by their love, revives Eurydice so that she and Orpheus can be together again in life.


	20. The blue dragon (2/2) [Second epilogue]

When Viktor opened his eyes for the second time that night, he didn't expect to found a bunch of black hair lying on his chest. At first, he thought that he was still asleep and it was just a dream. However, a sobbing voice stood out from the silence.

Thanks of the dim light of one the lamps still lit, Viktor could distinguish a male figure dressed in simple clothes, whom face maintained hidden on his arms while he was clinging tightly to one of the silver-haired man's hands.

Besides Chris, Viktor didn't have any other friends, so he had no idea who could cry for him in such a distressed way. Would he be one of his many admirers?

The warrior reached out his free hand and touched the boy's shoulder to get his attention and ask him about his identity, making him startled.

"Who...?" But words died in his mouth before he even began to ask, because, in front of him, a pair of brown eyes and an adorable face was facing him with evident surprise. Despite the ugly scars around his eyes, the features of the boy's face were soft and tender.

"Vi-Viktor! You're awake!" The boy exclaimed, his voice sounding relieved, and embraced the silver-haired man and keep crying on his neck. "I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't able to protect you ... I heard the arrow coming, but when I tried to block it with my Ice breath I coudn't hit it. My sight is terrible. I'm really so sorry!" The boy continued whimper, and the warrior, almost automaton, patted him on the back to try to to calm him down.

By common sense, Viktor knew he had to get away from that stranger and call out for help. However, after listening to his regretful and broken voice it broke Viktor's heart. Moreover, the boy's eyes looked so much like his dragon's...

So... he had to ask.

"Yuuri...? Are you my Yuuri?"

"Uhm..." The boy, a feeling a little calmer, separated himself from him and smiled shyly, action that made Viktor's heart jumped. "Y-Yes... I am your blue dragon."

"Bu-but how?!" The silver-haired man sat on the bed, thinking that maybe he was still dreaming. It just couldn't be possible that this adorable man was his Yuuri! Dragons weren't human!

The brown-eyed man nervously glanced around, not looking at Viktor. After a few seconds of hesitation, he raised both arms to the height of his chest and soon these became claws with blue scales.

Viktor, impressed, parted his lips to say something, but no sound came out of his mouth since Yuuri was quick to explain himself.

"Dragons have the ability to transmute into humans to go unnoticed. And... I'm sorry." The blue dragon, nervously, tilted his torso forward both in submission and begging for forgiveness. "I wanted to tell you this for months, but this is actually the first time we're alone..."

"So... you didn't escape..." Viktor finally said, tears of relief and joy sliding down his cheeks. "For a moment I thought ... you had abandoned me." The dark-haired man ran his soft hands over Viktor's skin to dry it.

"No, of course not. You are my master, Viktor. I would never leave you. But I had to get away from the camp so that nobody would see me transmute and would be able to see you in person and make sure that you were okay... I ... I have been visiting you every day, waiting for you to awake… "

"Yuuri..." The warrior could really understand that. If he were a dragon, surely he would also be afraid that other humans would see him transmute and lose his disguise. So he felt very happy, and at the same time mortified, that his dragon risked so much for him. "Thanks for saving my life, and for returning to me, Yuuri. You are the best dragon of all." With a genuine smile spreading across his lips, the silver-haired man extended his arms to his dragon. Yuuri responded immediately, also with a smile.

The warrior found it so strange to hug his dragon and not felt its cold scales against his toga. However, Yuuri's human skin was warm and quite comforting... Viktor felt a slight chill when Yuuri nuzzled his nose to his neck and felt his breath. "Are you smelling me?" He asked, unable to help laughing, suddenly remembering that his dragon used to do that very often.

"Yes... I-I'm sorry. You smell very good. Like chocolate."

"Chocolate? What is that?" He asked after finishing the hug, but guided his dragon to sit next to him on the bed, which was not very spacious and they ended up very close.

"Ah. Chocolate is a drink that I tried somewhere in the world during one of my trips. It's a bit bitter, but it tastes good. Maybe... one day, when the war is over, I could take you to that place..." He mumbled the latter with shyness and his cheeks flushing a bit.

"Of course, Yuuri! I need to know how good I smell!" Viktor's mouth formed a heart-shaped smile that he hadn't done in years. Then he looked better at Yuuri's human face for several seconds, realizing how his eyes weren't focused in any particular direction, as if he constantly looked at nothing. "Yuuri ... You really cannot see, right?" He said, and brought his thumbs to the dark-haired man cheekbones, curious to touch his eyes' scars while wiping up Yuuri's cheeks, still stained with tears.

"Ah! Yes-yes I can, a little... But everything is very blurry to me." The dragon, blushing, looked up at his master and narrowed his eyelids to try to focus his vision. "I can see that you have silver hair and light eyes. But I can't distinguish your features. And... Um... your smell is fresh and sweet, and your skin feels very soft and nice against my scales, so you must be young and healthy."

"Wow! No one had ever flirted with me like that!" Viktor commented jokingly, although he couldn't deny that he was attracted to this adorable man, with whom he felt a strange connection. Yuuri blushed again and didn't try to deny it, so the silver-haired man decided to be the one to take the next step. "Yuuri, is it okay if I kiss you? I want to be able to give a reward to my savior." He said in a suggestive and playful voice, bringing one of his thumbs to the lower lip of the other man.

Yuuri, eyes wide open and face completely red, took a moment to answer.

"It is okay...I... Actually, I've kissed you many times before." Embarrassed, he covered his face with his own hands, causing Viktor to release him and leaving him very confused by that response.

"... Wait, you mean the licks?" Yuuri nodded, and Viktor laughed, amused.

"Yuuri! And here I thought you were a shy dragon!" He said in mock indignation, making Yuuri blushed even more.

"We-well... You're my master, and I've already given you a lots of my scales. So... I was hoping you would... uh... accepted to be my mate." That surprised the warrior.

"Mate…? Is that something like... lovers?" Viktor had never had a relationship before, just some love affairs for fun (and he didn't even remember their names). However, the idea of having a serious relationship with Yuuri, his adorable dragon that had just appeared as an adorable man, was quite striking and fascinating. Yuuri nodded again.

Viktor, without saying anything, put aside Yuuri's hands to have better access to his lips and join them with his in a chaste kiss. However, his heart accelerated so much that he ended up kissing Yuuri more few times than necessary.

Never a kiss had felt so good! And Yuuri had already kissed him many times before, right? So it was only fair that Viktor used his lips to fill Yuuri's face with kisses while Yuuri laughed in an adorable way. The silver-haired man didn't stop until he felt short of breath. Both of them with their foreheads together, their noses brushing and their eyes looking at each other with approval and affection.

Yuuri was definitely the right person.

"Well, if that means I can spend the rest of my life kissing you like this, then yes. I accept being your mate, Yuuri." Viktor murmured his answer, but loud enough for his voice to be heard in the privacy of the night, and his dragon kissed him back once more before getting out of bed to kneel again to his side, now taking one of his hands to put it over his chest. Viktor could feel Yuuri's heart beating hard.

"In that case, I swear eternal loyalty to you. You are my master and you can do with me whatever you want." At some other time, Viktor would have made some sexual joke about it (learned from Chris, obviously), but seeing the determination in Yuuri's brown eyes, which for the first time they seemed to see clearly, made Viktor's body tremble pleasantly and his cheeks turned pink.

"I don't like that word, you know?" Viktor said suddenly, thoughtfully, and Yuuri looked at him with bewilderment for a moment. "What if instead of 'master', you call me 'husband'?" He suggested raising an eyebrow in a provocatively way. "If you do that, then I will also swear eternal loyalty to you."

"Oh... I-I think I can do that... That's how humans call their mates, right? Then it would be more appropriate to call you that way... Husband" Yuuri replied, unable to blush any more, and Viktor bent down to kiss him again. A moment later, the dark-haired man lifted off the floor. "Well... I must go now. I'll go back to the barn so everyone would see that your dragon came back."

"No, Yuuri, wait!" Viktor took Yuuri's wrist and begged him with his eyes. "Stay with me. Don't be a dragon again. N-no, I mean..." He said after realized Yuuri's hurt look. "I love your dragon form, but I love more being able to talk to you! If you go back to the barn now, we won't know when we will have another opportunity to talk."

"Ah... I guess you're right." Yuuri relaxed at the explanation and returned to sit next to him, and the silver-haired man immediately surrounded him again with his arms. "But if I don't return to being a dragon... your superiors will force you to take another one. I don't want to share with anyone else." Yuuri had sounded rather worried, but Viktor was flattered.

"Wow... I usually don't like possessive people, but coming from you I like the way it sounds." He kissed the Yuuri's cheek, and continued. "Don't worry, Yuuri. I don't need another dragon, only you. And... I think I know what we can do." The warrior for the first time sounded hesitant, something that made the blue dragon surprised, since his master..., no, husband! I always knew what to do.

"Yes?" Yuuri urged him to speak, because, whatever Viktor's idea was, he would follow him.

"... Let's get out of here, Yuuri," He said after hiding his face in his lover's neck. "I'm tired of the war. I have fighthing for years to achieve other people's goals, but tried to made me believe myselft that doing so could convince others to change their opinion about dragons. But nothing has changed. Everything is the same... Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong Era and that nothing I've done so far will help change the world. And I ... I'm just tired of everything... " Yuuri carefully slipped a hand through his silver hair in a consolation attempt, although for Viktor that was enough and he sighed complacently. "But since I have an adorable blue dragon at my side, I feel like my life makes sense again. You make me feel protected and loved. And I'd hate to see you in chains again. So let's get out of here, together. Let's start a new life, Yuuri. It doesn't matter where. I will follow you."

"Viktor... I feel the same for you," Yuuri replied with a smile before kissing his forehead. "I thought that all humans were evil, and that I would die as a slave. But Phichit was very kind to me, and you always take care of me and treat me like an equal. You also make me feel protected and loved. I want to be with you too... And ..., maybe, we could go to my nest."

"Your nest?" He lifted his head to look at him. "Is it where you live?"

"Yes, it's my home. My nest is in a safe place, is near the Capital. Nobody will ever find us there ... Ah. I wasn't in my nest when I was captured." He explained when he saw Viktor hesitate. "One of the female dragons of my clan had just laid eggs and her mate was hunting, so she was too weak to defend herself and her hatchling when a group of hunters found her, so I had to protect her... and they captured me instead."

"I see. You are so brave, my Yuuri." Viktor murmured, feeling proud of his dragon, and suspecting it was that day where the hunters damaged Yuuri's eyes. Viktor cupped his lover's cheeks and kissed his eyelids with sweetness. "Okay. Let's go to your nest."

"Oh, good." Yuuri replied a little surprised, as if he really didn't expect that answer. Then he got up from the bed and hesitated a moment before speaking. "Umm... but how will we get out of the camp? I cannot transmute here, there is not enough space."

"Oh, that's easy! I have permission to leave the camp when I please. And I doubt anyone would dare to ask who you are if they see you with me." He said, and tried to get out of bed, but as soon as his bare feet touched the floor, his head became dizzy and stopped. However, Yuuri hastened to put a hand on his back to help him to his feet.

After recovering, Viktor looked for his footwear and took several of his belongings, like clothes, his diary, his sword and put them inside a silk toga that he improvised as a sack. But before leaving, he tore a sheet from his diary and wrote a farewell letter to Chris and left it on his bed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

While Viktor and Yuuri walked among the tents, trying not to be too nervous (because they were afraid that someone would try to stop them), some of the legionaries who made night watch approached them to talk with the centurion to ask him about his condition. Occasionally someone looked at Yuuri out of the corner of their eyes, but no one asked questions as they watched their superior cling to his waist, thinking that the boy must be a simple prostitute because of his careless appearance.

Viktor answered them with his usual kindness, but told them he was in a hurry. And when they reached the exit gate, one of the guards, whom Viktor recognized as Jean-Jaques, looked at Yuuri in confusion until the dark-haired man nodded, then he opened the doors for them without saying anything.

"He's the one who's been helping me get in and out of the camp these days." Yuuri muttered as he saw his human's questioning face, and took him by the hand to pull him and make him walk again.

"Why?" Viktor asked without being able to understand what was happening. He didn't know much about Jean-Jacques, but because of his arrogant and haughty personality, he simply couldn't be the kind of person who would help others without asking for something in return.

"He is a bronze dragon." Yuuri replied in a low voice, as if it were obvious. "And he also has a human mate, so he just wanted to help me to be with you."

"... I see." The silver-haired man felt as an idiot. Now he understood Jean-Jacques' actitud; a dragon pretending to be a human while watching his friends being enslaved. Viktor promised himself not to prejudge someone again. "Yuuri... what will happen to the other dragons? Aren't you worried about them?"

"Of course I am. But they'll be fine." He said with a smile, calming the nerves that were beginning to affect Viktor for his sudden decision to escape. But the knowledge that he would see Yuuri's smile in the moonlight for the rest of his life made Viktor think it was worth the risk. "They have a plan to escape for years, and they will execute it when the war ends. So for now we just have to wait... Um, are you all right, Viktor?" Yuuri inquired as he noticed that his mate had a hand on his forehead.

"I'm fine, Yuuri. I'm just a little dizzy from the contusion."

"Let me help you, then." Yuuri took the sack from him to carry it, and then he put a knee on the ground. Viktor, blushing at his chivalry, understood immediately what he was referring.

"Oh, are you sure, Yuuri? I'm taller than you."

"Viktor. I am a dragon; I'm taller than you." He said with half-closed eyes. Viktor laughed.

"Ah, my hero! It's okay. You have convinced me." He stood behind the dark-haired man and Yuuri lifted him without problems. The warrior then embraced his dragon, and kissed his neck, which caused Yuuri to startle and squeak. Viktor laughed again. Yuuri was so adorable!

While Viktor yawned and tried not to fall asleep, a sudden revelation came to his mind.

The white dragon... He hadn't abandoned his master to die on the battlefield, nor had he abandoned his master's son to leave him completely alone.

Yakov returned after recovering from his injuries. He came back to take care of Viktor, just as Yuuri had done.

Tears of nostalgia and joy bathed Viktor's face again, and he hugged Yuuri more tightly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Yuuri asked as he heard his whining, walking more slowly. "Ma-maybe we should go back to the camp and wait a few days for you to recover..."

"No! I'm fine, Yuuri. Don't worry." He smiled and rubbed his nose against Yuuri's nape playfully. "I'm serious. It is just that I'm very happy. It's been a long time since I felt so happy. Thank you for choosing me, Yuuri." He heard the dark-haired man laugh shyly.

"You chose me first. Thank you, Viktor." The blue dragon replied with flushed cheeks, continuing down the dirt path while feeling Viktor's lips in his hair again.

When the couple left the camp behind and they were far enough away from the sentries' eyes, Yuuri searched for his harnesses, which he had hidden by burying them under a mound of earth, and handed them to Viktor so that he could put them on him after transmuting into a dragon. Then, protected by the penumbra of a crescent moon, the blue dragon spread his wings to fly away into a new future with his lover.

Years later, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the dragons would take advantage of the fact that humans were more concerned about rebuilding their homes to escape and away from human civilization. And they had to wait about a thousand more years before humans stopped hunting them.

FIN.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can already consider this chapter as the end of the story (the third epilogue will be an extra).
> 
>  **Human!Viktor and Dragon!Yuuri "didn't had" a happy ending:**  
>  Yep, I personally consider that Human!Viktor and Dragon!Yuuri didn't have a happy ending. I mean, of course they did have each other for the rest of their lives, and they were happy together, but, because of the Era, they always lived in fear that Yuuri would be found and captured again, so it could be said that they lived as hermits. On the other hand, Human!Yuuri and Dragon!Viktor did have a better life, because they had friends and family with whom to lean.
> 
>  **We will know the reactions of Human!Yuuri and Dragon!Viktor after reading the book?**  
>  No. Their reactions will be the same ones that you had as readers.  
> Although Viktor and Yuuri are the reincarnations of the human and the dragon from the book, and even knowing their story and their names, they will not recognize them as their own, since their souls don't keep those memories. But they do recognize the soul of their loved one. Therefore, in each reincarnation, Viktor and Yuuri will always meet again and fall in love again as if it were the first time ;D
> 
>  **Controversy for NO lemon/smut:**  
>  In the Wattpad version of this fanfic (the spanish version), without exaggeration, I got around 100-150 messages (everyday I got more) from readers angry at me because in the chapter "The trip" I mentioned that Viktor and Yuuri already had sex but I never wrote those scene.  
> Some readers called me "a fraud" and "a bad person", and even tried to sabotage the story for the simple fact of not having a sex scene that I never promised, and that even in the summary I warned that there never would be.  
> Because of this, I felt disappointed for some days because I thought that people only read the fic in search of some kink like "hard sex of a human with a dragon", and I thought about abandoning the story and never ending it (no as a tantrum, but to give priority to my other stories). However, many other readers defended me and let me know how much they liked the plot and that they didn't care at all that there was no porn. So... thanks to everyone who supported me. Without you, I wouldn't have wanted to continue this story. Thank you! :D
> 
>   **Theories [on the Spanish version side]:**  
>  I've written fanfics for years, but this is the first time that I happen to get readers so interested in the plot that they invent their own theories to try to break the plot and know the ending ahead of time. Honestly, I never expected such funny and varied theories. The recurrent one was always "The human Yuuri is a dragon", even though I always insisted that Yuuri was NOT a dragon or magically would become one (a reader even got mad at me for that and called me "disrespectful" for breaking her theory). Another theory, which I actually made them intentionally believe, was that JJ was the villain xDDD
> 
>  **I invite you to re-read the story:**  
>  Now that you have finished reading the fic, you may feel that there are still things that were "inconclusive", so I invite you to reread the story to see if you find the clues and references that I left scattered. Maybe certain phrases now have a meaning for you ;D


	21. Two adorable humans [Third epilogue] (End)

Katsuki Yuuri couldn't believe his eyes...

On his cell phone... he had recorded the phone number of the 'Unjustly handsome man with silvery hair and slight Russian accent'.

"Yuuri?" Phichit inquired from the living room, since he heard his roommate arrive. However, he had remained leaning against the door after closing it, looking at his cell phone screen with his brown eyes wide open, as if he had seen a ghost. "Is something happening?" He asked worriedly, and the Japanese man turned to see him slowly.

"Eh... I just met a man who likes dragons."

"What?! Really?!" He laughed, relieved. "And who is he? Do I know him? Is he someone from the university? Do you have his social networks? Is he good looking?" The Thai boy asked as he rushed his own cell phone out of his pocket.

It was rare thing that Yuuri met someone who actually liked dragons (and that Yuuri didn't perceive that as a lie). People tended to tell the Japanese man that they were also fans of dragons just to flirt with him (although that only made Yuuri wanted to get away from them because he thought they were making fun of him). So that ignited Phichit's innate curiosity.

"Um... No, I don't think you know him. He is not someone from the university. I met him at the bookstore near the apartment. I didn't ask him if he had social networks. And... yes, he is quite attractive, in fact." Yuuri replied in order, with his cheeks slightly red, and he started walking towards the couch to leave his backpack.

"What? Yuuri! How are you supposed to marry him if you don't stalking him on his social networks?!"

"Marry him?" He repeated incredulously, though blushing more at the thought. "And I don't know. I guess I'll talk to him in person like any normal person would do." He replied sarcastically. "Also, he gave me his phone number..."

"Woah! Wait, what?!" Surprised. "You talked to him and he gave you his phone number? You, the most timid kid in the world, talked to an attractive guy who ended up giving you his phone number? Are we in an alternate universe where you took the initiative?"

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Phichit." Yuuri said with an exasperated sigh as he went to the small kitchen to prepare something to eat. It was his turn to cook. Phichit sat in the dining room for two people after following him. "But... Yes, you're right... I didn't speak to him, he spoke to me. I would never have dared to talk to him..." He sighed again. "Phichit. He is extremely handsome! He has the most beautiful blue eyes and the most shining silvery hair I've ever seen! And his personality is so kind and funny..." He said, lowering his voice, as if he were saying some secret that no one should know.

"And who is he? What is he's name? Do he have a nice ass? Photo or it didn't happen!"

"His name is Viktor. And no, I don't have pictures of him. Why would I take photos of a stranger?" He inquired confused. "And no, I didn't saw his butt either!" He exclaimed in horror, and then put a pan on the fire before pouring oil. "I went to the bookstore to buy the new volume of 'The Blue Dragon', and I almost tripped against him by accident. Then I tried to keep walking, but he took my arm and asked me if I liked dragons... I didn't answer immediately because I thought he would make fun of me. I mean, why would an attractive man like him would be asking me that? But I said yes so he would leave me alone. Then he smiled at me. And ... and ... Oh my god! His smile had the shape of a heart!" Yuuri put his hands to his face, embarrassed as he remembered what had happened. "Viktor then told me that he also liked dragons and showed me the copy of 'The Blue Dragon' that he had also just bought. After that, we sat for a while on a couch and talked. We realized that we have almost the same tastes in books and we have even read some of the same books..."

"Viktor Nikiforov?" Phichit inquired suddenly, and Yuuri looked at him, startled.

"Uh? How did you know?"

"Yuuri. There aren't many attractive men with silver hair and blue eyes whose name is Viktor around here. It was easy to find his profile." He said showing his cell phone screen, in which they could see a profile picture of the aforementioned man winking and carrying a poodle puppy. "Wow, he is really sexy! And... awww... Besides having the same name as your poodle, he also has one! And he works in an animal shelter... Uff, and he's also Russian!" Phichit said while reading his biography. "Yuuri! Didn't you take Russian as an elective class in college? Ask him to be your tutor!"

After hearing his name several times, Vicchan ran into the kitchen and asked his owner for pampering, lying on the floor with his paws in the air. Yuuri laughed and stroked his belly before returning to cook.

"Oh yeah. In fact... " He returned to the conversation, before stuffing ingredients into the pan and put the glass lid on. "... When I mentioned that I was studying to be a Translator, he told me that he knew Russian and French, and that he wouldn't mind being my tutor." Yuuri said, his face already completely red and looking at the floor so as not to see Phichit raising an eyebrow in a suggestive way.

"Yuuri ..." The Thai boy began, slowly, as if he were about to explain a complicated concept to a small child. "You have... the phone number of a sexy man... a Russian man... who clearly wants to 'study with you'... and, besides, he's a fanatic of dragons, just like you..., So, what the hell are you doing here talking to me instead of asking Viktor to send you nudes?!"

"Phichit!" He exclaimed scandalized. "I'm hungry." He said, pointing out to the food on the stove with one finger, as if it were an obvious answer. "I can't talk to Viktor while I have an empty stomach. Be-Besides, I'm sure he's just trying to be friendly... Do you know how hard it is to find someone who really likes dragons and not to only just to share weird kinks?"

"Ah. Yes... I had completely forgotten about your ex-girlfriend." Phichit said while cringe, remembering the day Yuuri when returned to the apartment very sad because his girlfriend had tried to force him to lose his virginity using a dragon dildo (Yuuri broke with her that day, obviously). So, instead of trying to press on the matter, he decided to continue navigating the profile of the sexy Russian man. To his luck, his profile was in 'public'. Then something caught his attention "Oh! Viktor made an updated!"

"Phichit! Stop stalking him! That's why I didn't want to tell you his last name!" Yuuri exclaimed as he served the food. "I'm not interested in what Viktor says in his networks, and you shouldn't care either. I want to know Viktor as who he is, not the person who claims to be on Internet."

"Well, then you aren't interested in knowing what Viktor said about you?" He inquired with a malicious smile, and the Japanese man turned to see him with a half-closed eyes.

"I very much doubt that Viktor made a comment about me on his networks." He took a fork and began to eat.

"Viktor published: 'I just met the father of my future one hundred poodles!'. He added icons of twenty hearts, a piglet, glasses and an eggplant. And a picture of you." Phichit said with a triumphant smile. Yuuri spit his food.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Viktor Nikiforov couldn't believe his eyes....

'The cute boy in glasses' he met at the bookstore had just sent him a text message to invite him out!

They had known each other for a couple of weeks, but because the lack of time they hadn't been able to meet again. However, they chatted through text messages and video calls, although, for Viktor, those limited interactions were enough to make him know that he was undoubtedly attracted to Yuuri.

In fact, since their first encounter he felt himself under the influence of his adorable chocolate eyes, which looked at him with determination and shyness while his cheeks turned red. And the subjects of their conversations were beyond their common like for dragons. It was thanks to that he knew that Yuuri would be his husband (in a not too distant future, he hoped). So, obviously, Viktor answered him right away that he did want to have a date with him, without forgetting to add all the hearts he could to make Yuuri understand how excited he was.

Also, it wasn't only that Yuuri actually did like dragons, but also he had a poodle like Makkachin! Which coincidentally his names was also Viktor, just like him! Although Yuuri had told him that it was due to the main character of an old myth about a warrior named Viktor and his blue dragon (curiously, his mother had called him Viktor because of the same myth).

Viktor wasn't sure if it was because of the provenance of his name, but since he was a child he liked to see cartoons, read books and play board games that had to do with dragons. It was his guilty pleasure, and he didn't care if people called him a nerd. The sad part was that some people used to use his likes towards dragons against him to try to sleep with him.

He still remembered with disgust the last time he had tried to establish a friendship with someone through dragons, only for that person to end up asking if he had a dragon dildo and if he could send her a picture of him using it. Never in his life had blocked someone so fast from his social networks.

"Why do you have that stupid smile on your face?" Yuri, his younger cousin, asked him as he sat down next to him on the couch to watch the TV. Viktor was already used to his new attitude of 'I'm a big boy and I can insult', so he wasn't offended.

"My Yuuri just invited me out." He replied with a smiling sigh, and the blond boy looked at him with disgust.

"Ewww... Why did you get a boyfriend with the same name as me? It's weird."

"Oh! Yuuri is not my boyfriend... yet." He replied blushing, still smiling. Little Makkachin entered the room and climbed the couch to sleep in the lap of his owner, who petted his head. "But if everything goes well on our date tomorrow, then I'll ask him to be my boyfriend... By the way, from now on I'll call you 'Yurio'."

"What?! Why?!" Yuri yelled annoyed, looking at the silver-haired man as if he had said something stupid.

"As you said before, having two 'Yuris' is weird." He laughed.

"But I'm your cousin, I should have preference!"

"But Yuuri born before you, Yurio." He answered in a singsong voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't make the rules!" The youngest one showed his middle finger and then returned his gaze to the TV, not wanting to argue.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The next day.

An cheerfully and a little impatient Viktor had arrived about twenty minutes before the agreed time to the skating rink, where Yuuri had invited him for their date. Ice skating was one of the things he didn't expect to have in common with the Japanese man, but that turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Both liked and practiced that sport as a hobby in their childhood years.

"Ah! Viktor." He heard Yuuri's worried voice just a few minutes after his arrival. The dark-haired man breathed and seemed agitated, as if he had been in a hurry to get there. "I-I hope I didn't make you wait..."

"Yuuri, hello! Not at all. I arrived a few moments ago. In fact, it seems to me that we both arrived early." He said showing his heart-shaped smile, and Yuuri couldn't help but stare at his lips more than necessary.

"I-I'm glad!" He exclaimed in embarrassment, with his cheeks flushed after realize he had been slow to answer. Though the Russian man hadn't noticed because he was as distracted as him, thinking how adorable Yuuri looked with those blue-rimmed glasses. "I didn't want to be late to... our first date." He murmured with some uncertainty, but Viktor's smile grew wider as he understood the implication of his words.

"Yes. I didn't want to be late for our first date either." He emphasize the last two words, and, in an act of gallantry, took one of Yuuri's hands and kissed his knuckles.

The dark-haired man tensed and looked at him with his eyes wide open and said nothing for several seconds. Viktor thought for a moment with horror that maybe he scared him and that Yuuri would run away. People used to tell him that his biggest flaw was being so blunt, cheesy and impulsive. But, to his surprise, Yuuri's posture relaxed and he smiled shyly.

"Let's go for skates!" Yuuri said suddenly, with his chocolate eyes shining, and Viktor nodded in relief.

After renting a pair of skates and entering the rink, Yuuri had a bit of trouble trying to slide on the ice, since he hadn't skating for years.

"I thought it would be easy to remember how to skate..." Yuuri commented with some embarrassment, scolding himself for choosing that location without properly thinking. However, Viktor, who hadn't stopped smiling once, immediately offered a hand to help him, which the Japanese man accepted with gratitude. In addition, he noticed that several girls had turned their heads to look at them.

Yuuri couldn't blame them for the disbelief that showed on their faces when they saw them together. Viktor was an undoubtedly handsome man with a funny and extroverted personality, and Yuuri wasn't even sure how he had managed to get his attention beyond their common liking to dragons, because it was obvious even to him that Viktor was trying to seduce him (and he was succeeding). However, that was something that he wasn't going to questioned, because their date seemed to went well, and less after having seen Viktor's post where he called Yuuri 'the future father of his poodles' (Yuuri never mentioned that he had already seen the post due to embarrassment).

While the Russian and the Japanese man continued holding hands and talking, they were so distracted in their own world that they didn't notice a group of children skating without care and ended up pushing them by accident, causing both of them to fall on the ice.

Despite the pain and the trickle of blood running down his nose, Viktor turned to Yuuri when he heard him complain with barely audible interjection, and saw him sitting on the ice with one hand on his right foot.

"Yuuri. Are you okay?" He inquired worriedly.

"Uh? Vi-Viktor! You're bleeding!" He exclaimed in terror.

After helped each other get up, and the children apologized, Yuuri rushed to get a handkerchief from his pockets, which he used to clean the blood, taking care of not hurting Viktor's nose again. The silver-haired man, on the other hand, took Yuuri's waist and guided him towards the protection fence, since it was evident that his foot was the most affected by the fall.

"Um... I guess this wasn't part of the plan." Yuuri commented when Viktor helped him off the rink and led him to sit down on one of the benches. The Japanese man sadly thought that the date had been ruined and probably there wouldn't be a second one. If only Phichit hadn't pressed him to ask Viktor for a date as soon as possible, he would have had time to think of a less dangerous place to talk. However, the Russian man had a different opinion.

"No, definitely this wasn't in my plans; my bleeding nose is a surprise. But it doesn't matter, in this way our date is more interesting, don't you think?" He laughed, and knelt in front of Yuuri to unleash his right skate. However, Yuuri was startled and blushed at that vision.

"Viktor. Y-you don't have to! My leg isn't that bad..."

"Yuuri." He turned to look at him seriously, so that the dark-haired man fell silent thinking that he had said something wrong. But Viktor smiled again. "Your handkerchief is stained with my blood. The last thing I can do for you is to help you to remove yours skates." He replied as he removed the right skate as calmly as possible, looking for any sign of swelling. "Also, I want to make sure you're okay and don't need to go to a doctor. By the way, I know of a coffee shop that is a few steps away from here, where my friend Chris is the owner. How about if we go there to take off the cold?" He inquired with his heart-shaped smile, and Yuuri didn't even realize that he was already nodding before he even thought about refusing.

"Ah... I think it's my ankle. It's starting to hurt." Yuuri commented when he put his shoes back on and tried to walk. "Umm... is it okay if I lean on you?" He asked with his head down, avoiding Viktor's blue stare because of shame. An idea that the silver-haired man obviously wasn't going to refused, but...

"I have a better idea." Viktor put a knee on the floor and watched sideways the Japanese man's reaction. Yuuri's face had turned completely red, and his mouth opened to protest, but Viktor continued. "Come on. This way will be faster."

"Viktor, I can walk..." But when he saw that the silver-haired man wasn't moving, he gave a sigh of defeat and gave up. "Okay, if you insist..." Despite the curious glances hovering over them, and the fact that Yuuri didn't want to bother Viktor, he ended up climbed on his back. After making sure Yuuri was safe on his back, Viktor unfolded his knees, supporting his weight without problems.

Yuuri rested his chin on Viktor's left shoulder to see the path, and he could smell his perfume, which had a familiar and gentle cinnamon-like aroma. The Japanese man took a moment to realize with embarrassment that his nose was almost glue to the Russian man's neck. And if Viktor had noticed, he didn't say anything about it.

"This reminds me of a chapter from 'The Blue Dragon' don't you think, Yuuri?" Viktor commented suddenly, and the dark-haired man nodded cheerfully, completely forgetting to feel restrained by the whispers of the girls who watched them with envy (although, for some reason, others took pictures while giggled).

"You're right! It was in the chapter where the white dragon carried his injured mate, the blue dragon, both being in their human form. It's one of my favorite scenes, in fact. I always thought it was romantic."

"Yes, I also find it quite romantic." The silver-haired man responded with a giggle, which made Yuuri realize that they were just in that same situation...

Oh... Maybe the date wasn't going that bad.

When they arrived at the Coffee shop, the first thing that Viktor did was leave Yuuri sitting on one of the couches of the establishment. Then he went to talk to a blond man with honey-colored eyes who was near the cash register, which didn't waste time to begin to flirt with the silver-haired man. Yuuri would probably have been jealous if it wasn't for the fact that Viktor laughed, and the man he spoke with immediately went to what appeared to be the kitchen, and in less than a minute had returned with an ice pack his hand, while Viktor had gone to the line to place their orders.

"You must be Yuuri." The blond man said after approaching him and offering him the ice pack. Yuuri took it and thanked him before pressing it against his ankle, feeling an almost immediate relief. At the same, he felt moved that Viktor had thought of him. "I'm Chris, Viktor's best friend. And I'm sorry to hear that you had a small accident during your date. But I think you'll find out that my Coffee shop has the right atmosphere for romance." After saying that, he winked.

"Uh... Thank you, again." It was all Yuuri was able to said, showing a shy but genuinely grateful smile.

"You're welcome. Anything for Viktor's crush 'who also likes dragons'. He has been unbearably happy since he met you, you know?" Yuuri blushed and didn't know how to answer that. Luckily, Viktor returned with two cups of what Yuuri had assumed was coffee until a chocolate scent enveloped the atmosphere around them, and Viktor left them on the coffee table in front of the couch along with two muffins. "Well, I don't want to be a third wheel. I leave you two alone so you can keep going with your date." Chris said as a goodbye as he turned to go back to his workstation. "By the way, I must say that you two would make a very cute couple."

"Thanks, Chris." Viktor said and cleared his throat, wishing that his friend had kept the last comment so as not to make Yuuri felt pressure.

After several seconds of silence, which weren't exactly uncomfortable, in which Yuuri accommodated the ice inside the trouser leg in such a way that he didn't have to hold it with his hand; it was he the one who decided to start the conversation.

"So... do you like hot chocolate?" Viktor, with the cup against his lips, looked at him in surprise.

"... Oh! I'm sorry, Yuuri. I should have asked you what you wanted. I'm so used to ask for chocolate and..." While Viktor spoke with an expression of embarrassment, the dark-haired man couldn't help but laugh a little.

"N-no, I didn't mean like that. It's okay." He smiled to reassure him. "I also like hot chocolate. Thank you."

"It's good to know!" He said, relieved, and then he remembered something he wanted to mention to Yuuri. "By the way, have you ever read Minami Kenjirou other works?"

"Uh... is it the guy who writes the 'The Blue Dragon' saga, right? I'm bad remembering author's names" The silver-haired man nodded. "No, I haven't read his other books. Why?"

"I don't read his other books, either." He admitted without shame. "But my cousin Mila told me that he has just published a book about a high school romance, which his protagonist is called Yuuri."

"Yuuri is a very common name in Japan." He said with a shrug before drinking his chocolate.

"And in Russia." He added with a smile.

"Oh, tell me your cousin doesn't really hate me because of the nickname you gave him." Yuuri said with a scared face. He already knew from Viktor that Yuri was an explosive teenager, and since he was currently living with the silver-haired man because his apartment was closer to his high school, Yuuri wanted to have a good relationship with the boy.

"Of course he doesn't hate you." He laughed. "Yurio just likes to act like as a vandal, but in reality he's just a kitten with no claws trying to scratch. He will like you."

"I hope so..." He said with a sigh.

Viktor and Yuuri continued talking for the rest of the afternoon, not noticing the flirtatious glances that girls directed at the Russian man, or Yuuri's cell phone that vibrated with thousands of messages text from Phichit asking him about his date. Even when a barista offered Yuuri a free coffee along with his phone number, the Japanese man accepted it automatically so as not to argue with him, and he immediately forgot about the coffee when returned his gaze to the blue eyes. Curiously, after that, Viktor put an arm behind Yuuri on the couch. And it wasn't until Chris told them that he had to close the coffee shop that they realized it was almost midnight. They had been talking for hours.

Yuuri's ankle still hurting, but not so much that Viktor had to carry him on his back, so the dark-haired man rested an arm on Viktor's shoulders. They could have taken a taxi, but neither of them suggested it, because they were trying to gain more time to be together. They couldn't deny the fact that they felt good leaning into each other.

Before arriving to Yuuri's apartment, he suggested sitting on the bench of a park to let 'rest his foot'; Viktor thought it was very good idea.

"Yuuri, I really enjoy being with you." Viktor confessed after sitting next to him, but not taking off his hand from his waist. "I hope I also had been a nice company for you."

"Yes, I-I also like to be with you." Yuuri replied, a little nervous because Viktor's silvery eyelashes, which came closer and closer to his face, stood out in an ethereal way against the moonlight, almost as an angelic appearance; a vision which unjustly left him without breathe. Everything in Viktor was so unfairly perfect, at least for him.

"Yeah?" Viktor said, more in affirmation than question, while their noses brushed and their lips separated only by an inch. Viktor also felt that Yuuri was totally perfect for him, so much that he didn't even want to fight against whatever kind of spell he was under in every time his eyes looked directly at the chocolate-colored ones.

The silver-haired man wasn't sure how much time they spent looking into each other's eyes, saying nothing, letting their breaths mix, delighting not for the first time with the fragrance of sea breeze that the Japanese man's perfume gave off. But he was surprised, and his cheeks lit up, when Yuuri was the one who shortened the distance and put his lips on his in a not exactly shy kiss.

Viktor needed a moment to react, mostly because he expected to be the one to initiate the kiss, but soon he had one hand tangled in the black hair and the other one clinging to Yuuri's back.

The kiss was passionate, but not in a carnal sense, it was a kiss of a desire for connection and closeness. And when they needed to separate for air, their lips joined again a couple of times, but more calmly, simply enjoying the heat they transmitted to each other to fight against the cold of the night.

"Viktor, be my boyfriend!" Yuuri said suddenly, with that shining determination in his eyes that made Viktor’s knees felt like tremble. But then the chocolates eyes widened in horror at the realization of what he said. "I-I mean... if you want to..."

"Yes! I want to be your boyfriend, Yuuri!" He threw himself to the dark-haired man to hug him, nuzzled into Yuuri's neck, feeling how his body relaxed at his response.

Yuuri, still heart pounding, hugged Viktor back as a smile adorned their faces. Even though his head told him that it was impossible that a man like Viktor would fall in love with him, something in his chest asked him to trust him.

And he didn't regret it, because, a one year later, Yuuri would take the surname Nikiforov for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! This is the final chapter: D!
> 
> Viktor and Yuuri met again, now as humans ~  
> Possibly there are still some dragons in the current era of the fic, but they would be extremely few and super hidden, because humans now think they are a myth.  
> (No, Kenjirou isn't a dragon e.e) [The spanish fandom for some reason thought he was one ???]
> 
> And well! I want to thank everyone who has read my story so far, despite the lack of sex that I told from the beginning that there wouldn't be (e_e), and I hope you liked it!
> 
> This story has taken me more than 1 year to write it. I started writing it in January 2017, but I published it until the end of February [and started to translating to English on may 2017], because I wanted to make sure that the story had enough foundations to be able to add more things without losing coherence. The first two chapters were already written before publishing them, but from chapter 3 onwards everything was written on the fly xD
> 
> Except for The Legend. It was never my intention to made readers believe that Viktor and Yuuri were the warrior that dies bleeding and the dragon that survives (aka, Viktor's father and Yakov), that's why I never mentioned the color of the dragon, because I wanted the readers to realize that they WEREN'T Viktor and Yuuri. But I guess the context caused the opposite effect and most readers believed that it was about them xDu
> 
> Something that was actually planned, was the ambiguity of knowing if Otabek was a dragon or not, and if it was he or JJ who betrayed Yurio.
> 
> Another thing I didn't expect is that there were so many readers insisting that human!Yuuri would magically become a blue dragon despite the many times that I affirmed that he was 100% human and all of the times I emphasized the fact that Yuuri couldn't hear dragons talks; dragons didn't perceived him as a dragon; he didn't smell like a dragon, and I even mentioned the reecarnation thing a lots of times. There were people who even accused me of lying and I was like "wtf" x'DDD [This happened on the spanish version, on Wattpad]
> 
> By the way, this fic was inspired by a book saga called Dragonlance Chronicles, where dragons can shapeshifting to humans. But I didn't took the story, just the transformation thing and the hate towards dragons.
> 
> But hey, despite all the problems that this story had caused me, I had a lot of fun writing it! Thanks to everyone for reading it and hopefully you will go to my profile to read my other fics! :D


	22. Arts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little update to the story.

This update is to say that I added arts to the story, they were drawing by me ☆⌒(≧♡ ° )  
The arts can be found in these chapters.

-The white dragon

-The golden dragon

-The book

-The Capital

And to say I edited chapter 1 and 2 since my english has imprived since last year. Maybe I going on to edit more chapter later :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my art and fics, you can follow me on my [tumblr!](http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> [Follow me on my tumblr and see my comics/doujins Viktuuri!](http://rhapeseuhans.tumblr.com/)   
> 


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